04/11/2023
What is hepatitis B? How to effectively prevent disease
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Hepatitis B virus can exist in the blood and other fluids of a patient, causing chronic hepatitis B. At that time, the patient is forced to accept living with hepatitis B virus for life. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to learn what hepatitis B is and effective methods to prevent hepatitis B.
1. What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The disease greatly affects liver function, can cause liver failure and lead to death. Currently, hepatitis B virus is still a major threat to global health. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently more than 2 billion people infected with about 400 million people in the world with chronic hepatitis B, with 1.5 million new infections each year. In Vietnam today, the number of people infected with hepatitis B virus accounts for about 20% of the population.
Chronic hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Hepatitis B can occur in anyone and the rate of complete cure of chronic hepatitis B is relatively low. The main goal is to prevent hepatitis B virus infection, early detection, monitoring and treatment when indicated to prevent complications of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure.
Try your hand at the Quiz: How to protect a healthy liver?
Taking a multiple choice test to check your knowledge about the liver can help you clearly understand the important role of the liver, thereby taking measures to protect the liver to prevent disease.
The content is professional consultation with Master, Doctor Nguyen Quoc Lan - Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Doctor - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.
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2. Symptoms of hepatitis B
Hepatitis B has unclear symptoms, so it is difficult for patients to recognize. There are even many people infected with hepatitis B without knowing it. However, even if there are no symptoms, the hepatitis B virus can still cause serious damage to the liver after a period of latent growth. Therefore, when finding out what hepatitis B is, you need to pay attention to the following symptoms:
The body is tired and has no appetite.
Joint and bone pain.
Frequent nausea and vomiting.
Urine is dark yellow.
Stomach-ache.
Dark, gray-green stools.
Frequent digestive disorders.
Yellow skin, yellow eyes.
There is bleeding under the skin.
Right lower quadrant pain.
Abdominal swelling, bloating.
Hepatitis B, if not detected, monitored and treated at the appropriate stage, can develop into liver failure, cirrhosis ascites or liver cancer, which is dangerous to health.
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B can threaten your health and life
3. How is hepatitis B virus transmitted?
Hepatitis B virus has the same infection mechanism as HIV virus. However, with unique characteristics, hepatitis B virus is warned to be even more dangerous than HIV virus.
If the HIV virus cannot survive long outside the body and cannot be transmitted in the natural environment, the hepatitis B virus can live in the wild for at least 7 days and during this time the virus can still enter the body. The human body is not protected by vaccines.
Like the HIV virus, the hepatitis B virus is transmitted mainly through blood, s*xual contact and from mother to child.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hepatitis B virus is 50-100 times more infectious than HIV virus. Below are 3 routes of hepatitis B infection to keep in mind:
Transmitted from mother to child
Pregnant women with hepatitis B can pass the disease to their babies. Worldwide, the most common route of hepatitis B transmission is from mother to child during birth (vertical transmission) as well as horizontal transmission in young children. Therefore, preventing mother-to-child transmission is an important strategy to control the HBV epidemic. Mother-to-child transmission of HBV is more common in children born to women with high levels of hepatitis B virus in their blood (called HBV viral load). In the absence of any preventive intervention, the risk of mother-to-child transmission ranges from 70% to 90% for mothers with high HBV viral load (or HBeAg (+)) and from 10% to 40% for people who are HbeAg negative. High maternal HBV DNA (viral load) levels are associated with a high risk of transmission, even in infants vaccinated against hepatitis B. For this reason, pregnant women have high HBV DNA levels Antiviral prophylaxis is needed during pregnancy to prevent mother-to-child transmission and protect the newborn from infection.
How is hepatitis B virus transmitted?
Pregnant women infected with the hepatitis B virus can easily pass the infection to their babies
Transmitted through blood
Hepatitis B virus can be easily transmitted through blood transfusions, blood donations, injections, tattoos... if tools are not properly sterilized. In addition, sharing razors, toothbrushes... with someone with hepatitis B can also make you easily infected.
Transmitted through s*xual contact
Having s*x with someone who has hepatitis B without taking precautions also puts you at high risk of infection. Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through t
