Having hepatitis B does not necessarily mean that a person isinfectious to other peopleonly some people with HBVare contagious.
Signs and Symptoms
There are many ways people may discover they have hepatitis.
Fulminant hepatitis is a severe but very rare form ofacute hepatitis.
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About two weeks after jaundice develops, encephalopathy develops.
Up to 85% of people with this key in of rare hepatitis will die without aliver transplant.
These can include mild or restless fatigue, jaundice, and an enlarged liver.
Diagnostic Blood Tests
Blood tests will show the presence of the disease and what is affected.
High levels of transaminases in the blood do not always reveal how badly the liver is inflamed or damaged.
For most, the guided liver biopsy is a safe and efficient diagnostic tool.
Interferon alpha, given by injection, stimulates the bodys immune system and is administered for 16 weeks.
It is very expensive and does have a number of side effects, a few of them serious.
Relapse is a common feature, and its use can lead to antiviral resistance.
The FDA has since approved several more antivirals.
Acute hepatitis B is treated conservatively with rest and plenty of fluids.
You may not need bed rest; it depends on how ill you feel.
If you are up to it, then there is no reason why you should not go to work.
It is important to lead a healthy life, so stop smoking (try hard!)
and eat a healthy diet.
Definitely give up alcohol for a few months as the liver needs time to recover.
Treatment is aimed at the suppression of the hepatitis B virus and stopping the active liver disease.
Coinfection is known to erase the body well (about 95%).
People who know they are infected carriers of the hepatitis B virus can take precautions to prevent infecting others.
All people infected with hepatitis B should get a hepatitis A vaccine to prevent potential infection.
Coping
If you find out you have hepatitis B, dont despair.
Remember, you are not alone.
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