A hepatitis carrier is someone who tests positive for the virus for more than six months, but may not show symptoms. Hepatitis B and C are the main concerns as they can cause long-term damage and be transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. Healthcare workers and pregnant women should be tested.
A hepatitis carrier is a person who tests positive for the hepatitis virus for more than six months, indicating the presence of a chronic infection. Carriers don’t necessarily develop symptoms and may never get sick, but they can transmit the virus to other people, usually in close personal contact. A patient concerned about the possibility of carrying hepatitis may request a blood test to check for the virus. A doctor may also order liver function tests to see if the virus is causing active liver irritation.
There are numerous hepatitis viruses, each identified with a letter, such as hepatitis A. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are the usual causes of concern for hepatitis carriers, as these viruses can lurk in the body for decades without cause symptoms, while being poured into the patient’s body fluids. A carrier of hepatitis can pose a risk to healthcare workers with needlestick injuries and surgery, and can also transmit the virus during close personal contact, especially when sharing needles or engaging in other blood-to-blood contact.
The carrier of hepatitis can be perfectly healthy. In other cases, carriers eventually develop hepatitis symptoms including fatigue, nausea, and jaundice. The liver will become irritated and inflamed, causing abdominal pain. If a treatment plan fails to control the inflammation, the liver damage can become so severe that the patient requires a liver transplant. Some people can recover from bouts of hepatitis to become carriers, returning to an asymptomatic infection after the acute crisis is over.
Many healthcare workers are exposed to hepatitis at work and can become carriers. A healthcare professional may need to have regular tests to check for hepatitis infection. Being a carrier of hepatitis does not prevent people from engaging in healthcare activities, but certain steps should be taken to protect patients and colleagues in the event of an accident involving shared or spilled bodily fluids.
During pregnancy, a doctor will advise a patient who has not been tested for hepatitis to consider having a blood test. There are concerns about transmitting the virus during labor and delivery, and knowing ahead of time will allow your doctor to take some precautionary steps to reduce this risk. Hepatitis can be transmitted in a variety of ways and can be acquired at any age. Therefore, the recommendation of testing to see if the patient is a carrier of hepatitis is not meant to imply anything about the patient’s lifestyle but is used as a precautionary measure.
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