General Description
- Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by
the hepatitis B virus (HBV)
- The incubation period of hepatitis B is long (45 -
160 days; average being 120)
- HBV infection may occur in 2 phases, acute or chronic
- Acute phase occurs just after the person has been
infected and lasts from several weeks to a few months
- Some people are unable to resolve the infection and
become "chronic carriers" with HBV remaining in the liver and the blood
- Can cause long-term liver disease
- 90% of infants infected during birth become chronic
carriers
What are the symptoms of Hepatitis B?
- Symptoms may include fatigue, abdominal pain, fever,
loss of appetite, vomiting, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin)
- About half of those infected with hepatitis B have
these symptoms before t hey recover; but the other half of hepatitis B-infected
people do not develop the worst symptoms, and have only a mild flu-like illness
before recovering or no symptoms at all, and may never realize that they
were infected.
If you have no symptoms of Hepatitis B infection, can
you still be a carrier?
- Yes. In fact, the chances of becoming a carrier are
actually greater if symptoms of hepatitis B infection do not develop.
How is Hepatitis B infection diagnosed?
- Past infection , active infection, and chronic carrier
state can all be detected by a blood test for Hepatitis B antibodies and antigens
(viral proteins).
Who is at high risk of Hepatitis B infection?
- There are approximately 1.25 million carriers of HBV
in the United States. It is postulated that HBV may be 100 times more contagious
than HIV. Like HIV, HBV is mainly found in body fluids such as blood, semen, and
vaginal fluids. However, unlike HIV, infectious HBV has been found in saliva and
urine.
It is important to realize that about one third of
hepatitis B cases occur in people who do not belong to any identifiable risk group.
This probably occurs because Hepatitis B is extremely contagious; exposure to even
tiny amounts of blood or body fluids can cause infection. The Hepatitis B virus
(HBV) is very hardy and can survive outside the body (in dried blood for instance)
for a week or more. Experts believe that Hepatitis B cases, for which there is no
known infection source, are often the results of transmission within households
from unidentified carriers. Brushing one's teeth with an infected person's toothbrush
or using their razor can transmit the virus.
- The following groups are considered at high risk of
infection with hepatitis B:
- Intravenous drug users
- Health care workers
- Those living with a person who has an acute infection
or is a chronic carrier
- Heterosexuals with multiple sex partners (more than
1 every 6 months)
- Sexually active gay men
- Recipients of certain blood products (i.e. hemophiliacs)
and those on hemodialysis
- Children born to immigrants from areas where hepatitis
B is very common, such as subSahara Africa, China and Southeast Asia, Alaska, and
the Pacific Islands
- International travelers who will be spending time
in areas where infection rates are high
- Infants born to infected women
- Sexually active adolescents (patients aged 15 to 39
years comprise 75% of all new HBV cases)