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Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver and can be transmitted through infected blood and fluids. Chronic HBV is the most dangerous form, causing severe liver damage, cancer, or organ failure. Vaccinations are the best prevention method, and early measures can help prevent infection in newborns. Treatment for chronic HBV involves medication to slow liver deterioration, but liver transplantation may be necessary in severe cases. Risky behaviors should be avoided to prevent transmission.
Hepatitis B is a form of hepatitis infection. It is also called HBV and affects the liver with a virus called hepatitis B virus. When people get this infection they can get one of two forms: acute or chronic. Of these, chronic HBV is the most dangerous type since there is no cure for it and it generally results in severe liver damage, liver cancer, or complete organ failure.
Some types of exposure to infected people or to the blood and fluids of infected people are the most common means of transmitting hepatitis B. It is most often transmitted from person to person by sharing infected needles, having unprotected sex, or during childbirth when an infected mother passes the infection to a baby. When most adults get this disease, it takes the acute form, which usually resolves within six months and can have symptoms such as stomach pain, jaundiced (yellowing) skin and eyes, joint pain, fatigue, lack of appetite, stomach pain and darkness. – colored urine.
Chronic forms of the condition are more dangerous and may present no symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged, and as the chronic forms are more likely to occur in children, HBV is exceptionally dangerous for them. For this reason, women who have engaged in any of the above risk behaviors should be tested for hepatitis B during pregnancy. Early measures taken soon after a baby is born can help prevent infection, including giving the baby vaccinations and injections. Fortunately, HBV is preventable in most cases with multiple vaccinations. It is now standard in most developed countries to offer HBV vaccinations as part of healthy childcare.
People who suspect HBV, whether pregnant or not, should see a doctor to get confirmation of the diagnosis. It is exceptionally important to ensure that the disease is not transmitted by continuing to engage in high-risk behavior. As stated earlier, most adults with the condition recover and may simply need rest and careful liver monitoring while the disease is ongoing.
Treatment for the chronic forms usually means taking medications that can help slow the deterioration of the liver, but this is still typically not adequate in the long term. Some people with chronic HBV recover from the disease but retain the virus in their bodies and become carriers of HBV, but are otherwise healthy. Other people enter what’s called a quiescent phase, in which the main symptoms of the disease have disappeared, but they may experience flare-ups over the years that can cause more liver damage. When liver failure occurs, liver transplantation may be attempted, but this option is not available to everyone.
The best bet for preventing the spread of hepatitis B is to vaccinate children and avoid risky behaviors that could pass it on. People traveling to parts of the world where HPV is at epidemic proportions, such as parts of Asia, may also require booster shots or HBV vaccinations before traveling. The virus is not particularly common in the United States due to widespread vaccination efforts, needle cleaning programs, and education about safer sex practices.
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