In Case You Feel You Have Hepatitis A Then What To Do
If you are experiencing some of the symptoms of Hepatitis A, the first thing you should do is to get tested for Hepatitis A.
A small blood sample is required for Hepatitis A testing. You can book a test online with us. We offer confidential STD testing services in NYC.
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What Is Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is an infection of your liver. Itâs caused by a virus. There is a vaccine that protects against it. For some people, hepatitis B is mild and lasts a short time. These âacuteâ cases donât always need treatment. But it can become chronic. If that happens, it can cause scarring of the organ, liver failure, and cancer, and it even can be life-threatening.
Itâs spread when people come in contact with the blood, open sores, or body fluids of someone who has the hepatitis B virus.
It’s serious, but if you get the disease as an adult, it shouldnât last a long time. Your body fights it off within a few months, and youâre immune for the rest of your life. That means you can’t get it again. But if you get it at birth, itâ unlikely to go away.
âHepatitisâ means inflammation of the liver. There are other types of hepatitis. Those caused by viruses also include hepatitis A and hepatitis C.
See A Doctor For An Accurate Diagnosis
You should see a doctor anytime you have symptoms of hepatitis B. Since many people do not experience or notice symptoms, you should also see a doctor anytime you think you might have had exposure to B. This includes having unprotected sex or coming in contact with an infected persons blood or other bodily fluids. You can also get hepatitis B from sharing needles or from an accidental needlestick. You cant get hepatitis B from casual contact, such as hugging, or through food or water.
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If I Am Infected How Can I Prevent Passing On The Virus To Others
If you have a current hepatitis B infection you should:
- Avoid having sex with anyone until they have been fully immunised and checked with a blood test to see that the immunisation has worked.
- Not share any injecting equipment such as needles, syringes, etc.
- Not donate blood or semen or carry a donor card.
- Not share razors, toothbrushes, etc, that may be contaminated with blood.
- Cover any cuts or wounds with a dressing.
- Make sure that, if any of your blood spills on to the floor or other surfaces following an accident, it is cleaned away with bleach.
What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Hbv Infection
HBV can cause a wide range of symptoms, from a mild illness and general feeling of being unwell to more serious chronic liver disease that can lead to liver cancer.
Someone with hepatitis B may have symptoms similar to those caused by other viral infections, like the flu. The person might:
- be extra tired
- feel like throwing up or actually throw up
- not feel like eating
- have a mild fever
HBV also can cause darker than usual pee, jaundice , and belly pain.
People exposed to hepatitis B may start to have symptoms from 1 to 6 months later. Symptoms can last for weeks to months.
In some people, hepatitis B causes few or no symptoms. But even someone who doesn’t have any symptoms can still spread the disease to others.
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What Happens After A Hepatitis B Infection
Some people carry the virus in their bodies and are contagious for the rest of their lives. They should not drink alcohol, and should check with their doctor before taking any medicines to make sure these won’t cause more liver damage.
Anyone who has ever tested positive for hepatitis B cannot be a blood donor.
How Can I Prevent Spreading Hepatitis B To Others
If you have hepatitis B, follow the steps above to avoid spreading the infection. Your sex partners should get a hepatitis B test and, if they arent infected, get the hepatitis B vaccine. You can protect others from getting infected by telling your doctor, dentist, and other health care professionals that you have hepatitis B. Dont donate blood or blood products, semen, organs, or tissue.
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Notable Ways This Liver Disease Affects Women Differently
Hepatitis C is a potentially fatal viral infection that can cause long-term damage to the liver. Although the symptoms of hepatitis C are similar in women and men, the disease can progress differently in females. Women also face unique challenges, including the risk of mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.
Hepatitis B Symptoms & Treatment
FAST FACTS
- Hepatitis B is a virus found in infected blood, semen and vaginal fluids.
- Its a sexually transmitted infection that can be passed on through unprotected sex. You can also get it from contaminated needles and syringes. Its also commonly passed on from a mother to her baby during birth.
- There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B, which is routinely offered to infants as well as at-risk groups.
- You can prevent hepatitis B by practising safer sex, never sharing needles and syringes, and avoiding unlicensed tattoo parlours and acupuncturists.
- Most people dont need treatment for acute hepatitis B. If the infection becomes chronic, there is no cure, but it can be managed with treatment.
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Factors That Trigger The Risk Of Hepatitis B
Moreover, between 20 and 50 percent of children and less than 10 percent of matured children in age progress from acute to chronic hepatitis B infection.
People that are at risk of contacting the virus are
Treatment For Chronic Hbv Infection
For chronic HBV infection, antiviral medications are available.
This is not a cure for chronic HBV. However, it can stop the virus from replicating and prevent its progression into advanced liver disease.
A person with a chronic HBV infection can develop cirrhosis or liver cancer rapidly and without warning. If a person does not have access to adequate treatment or facilities, liver cancer can be fatal within months of diagnosis.
People with a chronic HBV infection require ongoing medical evaluation and an ultrasound of the liver
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What Are Signs Of Hepatitis B
When you first get hepatitis B, it is called acutehepatitis B. Most adults who have hepatitis B willrecover on their own. However, children and someadults can develop chronic hepatitis B.
Acute hepatitis B: Signs of acute hepatitis B canappear within 3 months after you get the virus.These signs may last from several weeks to 6 months.Up to 50% of adults have signs of acute hepatitis Bvirus infection. Many young children do not show anysigns. Signs include:
- Yellow skin or eyes
- Tiredness
- A longer than normal amount of time for bleedingto stop
How Do You Test For Hepatitis B
A simple blood test carried out by a healthcare professional will show whether you have the virus. You may also be given extra tests to see if your liver is damaged.
If youve got hepatitis B you should be tested for other STIs. Its important that you tell your recent sexual partner/s so they can also get tested and treated. Many people who have hepatitis B dont notice anything wrong, and by telling them you can help to stop the virus being passed on. This can also stop you from getting the infection again.
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Screening For Liver Cancer
If people have chronic hepatitis B, screening for liver cancer is done every 6 months. The following are done:
-
Ultrasonography
-
Sometimes blood tests to measure the level of alpha-fetoprotein
The level of alpha-fetoproteinâa protein normally produced by immature liver cells in fetusesâusually increases when liver cancer is present.
Causes Of Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood that contains the hepatitis B virus. If infected blood or body fluids enter another persons bloodstream, that person may become infected.
The time from exposure to the hepatitis B virus to the appearance of the illness is 45 to 180 days.
Risky activities that can cause infection include:
- Sharing unsterile or unclean equipment for injecting drugs.
- Piercing the skin with equipment that is not properly cleaned, disinfected and sterilised.
- Sharing razor blades or toothbrushes.
- Coming into contact with infected blood through open cuts or the mucous membranes of another person.
- Having unprotected sex , especially if there is blood present.
Mothers who have hepatitis B can pass the virus to their babies or children at the time of birth or after birth. If the newborn baby is quickly immunised with 2 vaccines, they can be protected from getting hepatitis B.
All blood and blood products produced for medical purposes in Australia are carefully screened for hepatitis B and other blood-borne viruses. The risk of getting infected with hepatitis B from a blood transfusion is extremely low .
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How Hepatitis B Is Diagnosed
The doctor will conduct a blood test to check for the presence of anti-bodies containing the hepatitis B virus. The specific part is called HBsAG which means Hepatitis B Surface Antigens. The antigens are viral proteins.
The doctor will also examine an antibody called IgM anti-HBc which is very good for examining acute hepatitis B infection. The viral protein here is called core antigen.
In order to diagnose chronic hepatitis B infection, the doctor will conduct a diagnosis by measuring both the HBsAg and the antibody to the core protein called anti-HBc.
What Are Clinical Trials For Hepatitis B
Clinical trialsand other types of clinical studiesare part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help doctors and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.
Researchers are studying many aspects of hepatitis B, such as
- progression of hepatitis B and long-term outcomes
- new treatments for hepatitis B
- prevention of reactivated or worsening hepatitis B in people receiving cancer treatment
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How Is Hepatitis B Prevented
Testing & Vaccination
- The hepatitis B vaccine offers excellent protection against HBV. The vaccine is safe and highly effective. Vaccination consists of 3 doses of vaccine over the course of 6 months. Protection lasts for 20 years to life.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children should receive hepatitis B vaccine starting at birth. .
- The CDC recommends hepatitis B vaccine for persons traveling to countries where HBV is common .
- If you have one or more risk factors for hepatitis B infection, you should get a simple HBV blood test. The blood test will determine whether you are:
- immune to hepatitis B or
- susceptible to hepatitis B and need vaccination or
- infected with hepatitis B and need further evaluation by a physician
Perinatal Hepatitis
- California law requires testing of all pregnant women for hepatitis B infection
- If the mother is HBV-infected, she will pass the infection to the baby during the birth process, unless the baby gets immunized within hours of birth
- Giving the infant HBIG and HBV vaccine right away will reliably prevent infection of the infant
- Other family members should best tested for hepatitis B too, and given vaccine if they are not already infected or immune
Healthy Habits
After Exposure to Hepatitis B
How To Control Hepatitis B In Pregnant Women
Study has shown that the most common mode of transmitting hepatitis B is by mother to child infection. Babies that are infected with hepatitis B have an increased risk of developing a serious liver disease or cancer in the future. It is necessary for pregnant women to test and take preventive steps to avoid the transmission of the virus to their children.
If a pregnant woman tests positive to hepatitis B, during delivery two shots of the hepatitis B vaccine should be administered to her. The first dose of the vaccine and one dose of hepatitis B immune globulin . These vaccines have to be available during delivery and be injected at different points during delivery.
If these vaccines are being administered correctly within the first 12 hours of life, the newborn has 95% chance of not developing hepatitis B in future.
After delivery, the baby has to complete the vaccine according to the schedule as part of a three or four dose series. After this regular checkups should be carried out.
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Complications Of Hepatitis B
A small proportion of people who become infected with the hepatitis B virus develop a long-term hepatitis B infection. They may have the virus in their bloodstream for most of their life without realising they are infected.
People with chronic hepatitis B infection may not notice any health problems until they develop liver problems such as liver disease or liver cancer later in life. Treatment for hepatitis B is essential because it is not possible to be a healthy carrier of the hepatitis B virus. Chronic hepatitis B infection occurs more commonly in some communities, including:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
- In people from parts of the world where hepatitis B is more common, such as:
- North-East Asia
- Sub-Saharan Africa.
How To Treat Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is not a chronic disease but it can easily progress into few like Cancer and HIV. As mentioned earlier the symptoms of Hepatitis B does not reveal themselves until the end of second week. In case you feel that you might have Hepatitis B, it is recommended that you conduct an STD test or a panel test.
Treatment of Hepatitis B cannot be done with over the counter products and home remedies. You can connect with us and book an appointment online or telephonically. We maintain strict confidentiality agreement for our patients, and adopt minimal paperwork so as to reduce the time involved in formalities. The results are provided within 3-5 days of the test.
Post clearance of test and in case you are detected as Hepatitis B positive, our medical practitioners will provide you with medical prescription. Proper cure and precautions are notified and listed for you to be followed which will help you in fast recovery.
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Who Are At Risk Of Hepatitis A
- People who have oral-sex and anal sex on a regular basis with random partners.
- People who are habitual of illegal drugs.
- People who are already having chronic liver disease.
- People who have blood clots or are continuously suffering from it.
- People who are having HIV or have recovered from cancer. Since both HIV and cancer weaken the immunity system, the risk of opportune diseases like Hepatitis A increases.
- People who are in direct contact with chronically or terminally ill patients.
Complications Caused By Hepatitis B
- Scarring of the liver or Liver cirrhosis
- Liver failure
- Fibrosis
- Glomerulonephritis or a group of diseases that can fatally attack the kidney or any other organs of the body.
- Cryoglobulinemia
- Hepatic Encephalopathy which is a group of neuropsychiatric abnormalities
- Anemia or Inflammation of blood vessels
- Porphyria that affects the nervous systems.
- Viral Co-Infection
- Liver cancer
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Chronic Hepatitis B Infection
If you develop chronic hepatitis B, youll be given treatment to reduce the risk of permanent liver damage and liver cancer. Treatment does not cure chronic hepatitis B and most people who start treatment need to continue for life.
Without treatment, chronic hepatitis B can cause scarring of the liver , which can cause the liver to stop working properly.
A small number of people with cirrhosis develop liver cancer, and these complications can lead to death. Other than a liver transplant, there is no cure for cirrhosis. However, treatments can help relieve some of the symptoms.
Outlook And Prevention Hcv
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , about 75 to 85 percent of those infected with liver disease C develop a chronic infection. There is no vaccine for the infection, however it is possible to clear the infection from the body with early intervention and making use of antiviral medication.
Since the infection can damage the liver, it is essential to look after your liver by avoiding alcohol and asking your doctor about safe medications and supplements to take.
Practicing safe sex and avoiding contact with blood can help you avoid the infection. Do not use illegal drugs and or share personal care products, such as razors, tooth brushes, or cuticle scissors.
Good luck! Have a nice weekend!
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