Diagnosis, Prevention & Treatment

Diagnosis

Do you know how Hepatitis B Diagnosed?
Here are the mainly common symptoms for hepatitis B infected patient in roughly 25-180 days:
No appetite on daily meals
Nausea and vomiting
Having fever and increased of body temperature
Always feeling weak and tired easily
Always feel painful at abdominal near the part of the liver (upper right quadrant)
Produced dark urine or waste and light-colored stool
Having joint pain all over the body
Skin and eyes color changed to yellowish. (jaundice)






How to confirm the person has Hepatitis B?

Around 30% hepatitis B patient has no symptoms or signs at the earlier stage and doesn’t confirm when or how they got infected.

By testing a hepatitis B blood panel was the only way to detect the disease positively identified. A simple 3 steps test and which is not included in the schedule of blood tests. The results of the test might be difficult to understand for both health care professionals and patients. So, it is better for the written results of all 3 standard tests be reviewed before a diagnosis is made.

Blood Tests

Here is the simple 3 standard blood tests for hepatitis B:
The person who is infected will have the HBsAg (surface antigen test) which part of the hepatitis B virus. When the hepatitis B virus is present, it will show POSITIVE for the test.
Person who received the hepatitis B vaccine will produced HBsAb or anti-HBs (surface antibody test). When the patient’s immune system has developed a defensive antibody against the hepatitis B virus it will show POSITIVE for the test. The antibody was able to provide long-term protection against upcoming infection.
HBcAb or anti-HBc (core antibody test) does not afford any defense or immunity against the hepatitis B virus. So, it is possible to indicate a false positive. A POSITIVE mean the person have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus and is usually present in those who are chronically infected.

There is a possibility for a person who have both anti-HBs and anti-HBc in the blood which provides immunity to hepatitis B, to still be infected and have HBsAg. Patients with levels of HBV in their blood may test positive for HBeAg (e antigen) or HBV DNA.

Prevention & Treatment

Prevention

• People who are at the utmost risk to get hepatitis B are:
  Intravenous drug abusers
  Heterosexuals with multiple partners
  Homosexual men
  Health care workers
  Children born to immigrants from China, Southeast Asia, and other areas where hepatitis B is very common
  
  
  The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, with the agreement of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, has suggested and advised that all infants receive hepatitis B vaccine in part of their childhood immunization schedule.
  
  To achieve the best immunization result, 3 doses of vaccine are required to stimulate antibody in 80-95%. The vaccination schedule mainly used in 3 intramuscular injections, after the 1st dose given, 2nd and 3rd doses will be given at 1-6 months.
  The infant will be injected the first dose of hepatitis B once he is born before discharge from hospital. Second dose will be given in the period of 1-2 months while third dose must be given in the age of 6-18 months.
  Hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine must be given to the infected infants who derived the virus from mother in 12 hours after birth. Then, second and third doses must be given in 1 and 6 months of age.
  Adults and older children are required to receive the injections in the deltoid while infants are required to get the injections in the thigh. Buttock injection are penalized.

Other preventions:

Cover open wounds, do not share any razors or manicure tools if you are carrier.
Have a safe sex with prevention steps.
Do not share any needles, razors, toothbrushes, manicure tools etc that might contaminate blood.
Do not allow to be pierced or tattooed with non-sterile equipment.
Limit owns alcohol intake.
Do not share IV drug needles or other drug equipment.


Treatment

• There is always fast and emerging treatments provided for those hepatitis B diagnosed patients. Major advances in biomedical research have resulted efficient and helpful treatments for chronic hepatitis B currently. There is no need for the person with chronic hepatitis to get treatment, but people who show the symptoms of active liver disease may benefit from the currently available drugs.
  
  When to initiate treatment?
  Treatment can only help the patients to be more healthier or improved at effects view, but not all the patients who show positive for the hepatitis B test need to accept the treatments. Extensive evaluation and treatment guidelines are able to judge and make decisions whether the patient need what type of treatment.
  
  The targets of HBV treatment are:
  Persistent inhibition of HBV replication
  No detection of HBV DNA in serum
  HBeAg change to anti-HBe seroconversion
  HBsAg to anti-HBs seroconversion
  Decrease of liver disease
  Normalization of serum ALT levels
  Improvement in liver biopsy findings
  Progress in clinical outcome
  Avoidance of liver failure and liver cancer
  Increased survival percentages
  
  What are the Current Approved Hepatitis B Treatments?

U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of treatment options for infected adults and children.

Interferon-alpha (Intron A) - There are few times of injection provided in the period of 6 months up to a year. This treatment might cause side effects such as flu-like symptoms, depression, and headaches. Children and adult are able to accept this treatment as it already approved in 1991.

Pegylated Interferon (Pegasys) – In the period of 6-12 months, it’s given to the patient once a week. Again, this drug might cause side effects such as flu-like symptoms, depression and other mental health problems. Available for both children and adult and was approved in May 2005.

Lamivudine (Epivir-HBV, Zeffix, or Heptodin) – This treatment was better than the previous because it is a pill and it cause almost zero side effects for the patients. However, it need to be taken once a day for more than one year. A main concern is hepatitis B virus might produce resistance during and after treatment. Approved in 1998 and available for both children and adults.

Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera) – Another type of pill which has to take once a day for at least one year or even more. However it might cause several side effects to the patients. Kidney problems might happen while taking the drug. It is only available for adult and it was approved in April of 2005.

Entecavir (Baraclude) – It is in pill type which need to take for at least a year and once a day. It cause almost zero side effects. It the best effective oral antiviral drug for chronic hepatitis B currently. Approved April 2005 and available only for adults.
Telbivudine (Tyzeka) – Another type of anti hepatitis B pill which need to take once a day. It must be coupled with a quite high rate of drug resistance and it might bring no effect for the patients who have lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B.

Drugs, however, doesn’t afford to a 100% cure, unless in rare cases. Person who totally cured from the disease means he lost the hepatitis B virus and also produced antibody in the body. The drugs are able to decrease the risk of liver damage from the hepatitis B virus by slowing down or restrict the virus from replicating.