ENWhat is Hepatitis B? What are the symptoms and treatment methods?
Hepatitis B is a common liver inflammation all over the world. The cause of the disease is hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B virus is transmitted from person to person through blood, blood products and infected body fluids. Unprotected sex, drug use, non-sterile needles and medical devices, and transmission to the baby during pregnancy are other ways of transmission. Hepatitis B ; It is not transmitted by eating from a common container, drinking, swimming in the pool, kissing, coughing, or using the same toilet. The disease may have an acute or chronic course. There may be silent carriers that do not show any symptoms. The disease progresses in a wide spectrum, ranging from silent carriage to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Today, hepatitis B is a preventable and treatable disease.
How Does Hepatitis B Carrier Happen?
- Sexual intercourse with a person with hepatitis B
- Drug users
- Unsterilized manicure pedicure sets in hairdressers
- Razors, scissors,
- Ear piercing, earring try on
- Circumcision with non-sterile instruments
- Surgical procedure with non-sterile instruments
- Non-sterile tooth extraction
- Common toothbrush use
- pregnant woman with hepatitis b
Acute Hepatitis B Symptoms
In acute hepatitis B disease, there may be no symptoms or the following symptoms may be observed.
- Yellowing of eyes and skin
- Anorexia
- Weakness
- Fire
- Joint pains
- Nausea vomiting
- Stomach ache
The incubation period until disease symptoms begin may be 6 weeks to 6 months. A long incubation period causes the person to infect others with the disease without being aware of it. Diagnosis of the disease is made with a simple blood test. After diagnosis, patients are usually hospitalized and treated. Bed rest and treatment for symptoms are applied. Rarely, a severe condition called fulminant hepatitis may develop during acute hepatitis B infection. In fulminant hepatitis, sudden liver failure develops and the mortality rate is high.
Individuals with acute hepatitis B infection should avoid alcohol and cigarettes, consume healthy foods, avoid excessive fatigue, sleep regularly and avoid fatty foods. In order not to increase liver damage, medication should not be used without consulting a physician.
Chronic hepatitis B disease
If the symptoms of the disease continue 6 months after the diagnosis of the disease, it is considered a chronic disease. Chronic disease is more common at early ages. Chronicity decreases with advancing age. Babies born to mothers with hepatitis B are at great risk for chronicity. Some patients learn about their condition by chance because the symptoms of the disease can be very silent. Once diagnosed, drug treatments are available to prevent liver damage. Chronic hepatitis B disease has the possibility of turning into cirrhosis and liver cancer. Patients with chronic hepatitis B should have regular health checks, avoid alcohol and cigarettes, consume foods containing plenty of vegetables and fruits, and avoid stress.
How is Hepatitis B diagnosed?
Hepatitis B is recognized by blood tests. As a result of the tests, it can be diagnosed if there is an acute or chronic infection, carrier, past infection or contagiousness.
Hepatitis B vaccine and treatment
Thanks to developed vaccines, hepatitis B is a preventable disease. The protection rate of the vaccine is 90%. In our country, hepatitis B vaccination is routinely administered starting from infancy . If immunity decreases in older ages, a repeat dose is recommended. Vaccination is not given to those who carry the disease and those who are actively ill. Vaccination is done in 3 doses: 0, 1 and 6 months. Routine hepatitis B testing is performed on mothers during pregnancy follow-up. The aim is to protect the newborn baby. In order to prevent the spread of the disease, it is essential to inform the public about the modes of transmission.
Can Hepatitis B get better on its own?
People who have had the disease silently and gained immunity are encountered in the society.
Babies born to mothers with hepatitis B
Hepatitis B can sometimes be transmitted to the baby in the last weeks of pregnancy and sometimes during birth. In this case, immunoglobulin is administered to the baby along with the vaccine immediately after birth.