Hepatitis B - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment, How Is Hepatitis B Transmitted?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Hepatitis B

Content:

• What is Hepatitis B?
• Types of hepatitis B
• Manifestations of hepatitis B
• Causes of hepatitis B
• Symptoms of hepatitis B
• Vaccination against hepatitis B
• Diagnosis of hepatitis B
• Hepatitis B treatment
• Diet for hepatitis B
• Complications of hepatitis B
• Prevention of hepatitis B

Group B hepatitis can be contracted only through contact with the biological material of a sick person. In most cases, infection occurs unnoticed by the patient, therefore this disease is detected either during a laboratory examination, or with the manifestation of characteristic symptoms. People who have completed the course of treatment in a timely manner can expect a complete recovery and the formation of stable immunity to the hepatitis B virus.

What is Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a virus that, when it enters the human body, begins to have a negative effect on vital internal organs. Most of all, the liver suffers from this disease, which is affected at the microcellular level. Group B hepatitis can be asymptomatic, or it can be accompanied by pronounced symptoms. Having passed into the chronic stage, this viral-infectious disease often provokes the development of liver cirrhosis and cancer.

For many years, statistics of this disease have been kept in all countries of the world, the results of which are published in specialized mass media:

• Acute hepatitis B, detected in newborns, becomes chronic in 90% of cases;
• The acute form of hepatitis B, detected in young people with a normal immune system, very rarely turns into a chronic stage - in 1% of cases;
• Acute hepatitis B, detected in adults, becomes chronic in 10% of cases.

When vaccinated against hepatitis B, patients begin to develop immunity to this disease:

• After the introduction of the first vaccine - in 50% of patients;
• After the introduction of the second vaccine - in 75% of patients;
• After the introduction of the third vaccine - in 100% of patients.

The chronic form of hepatitis B is diagnosed in children:

• Their age ranges from 1 to 5 years - in 25% -50% of cases;
• Those who were infected during childbirth - in 90% of cases.

Types of hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is classified as follows:

• Fulminant. With the fulminant form of the development of hepatitis in patients, within a few hours, cerebral edema occurs and coma occurs. In most cases, the life of such a category of patients is tragically interrupted after a short period of time after the transition of fulminant hepatitis to the clinical stage;
• Acute. In the acute form of hepatitis B, patients have several stages of the course of this disease. First of all, primary symptoms appear, after which the skin of patients acquires a yellow tint. The last stage of the acute form of hepatitis B is characterized by liver failure;
• Chronic. Group B hepatitis becomes a chronic form after 1-6 months after the virus enters the human body. These few months are the incubation period, after which the characteristic symptoms and signs begin to appear.

Manifestations of hepatitis B

After the penetration of a viral infection into the patient's body, the incubation period of hepatitis begins, which on average ranges from 15 to 90 days, but can drag on for 6 months.

The acute form of hepatitis can proceed as follows:

• Exacerbation stage;
• Protracted course of the disease;
• Relapses;
• In rare cases, hepatic coma.

Why is hepatitis B dangerous?

If hepatitis B was diagnosed at a late stage, or if this disease was not treated promptly, the outcome is obvious: cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.

This category of patients may face other serious consequences of hepatitis B:

• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle);
• Arthritis, arthrosis and other joint diseases;
• Diseases of blood vessels and kidneys, etc.

Against the background of such complications, the risk of death increases significantly.

Currently, at the state level, a list of persons belonging to the risk group and in need of compulsory vaccination against hepatitis B has been approved:

• School pupils and students;
• Pupils of kindergartens;
• Health care workers who may come into contact with patients' biological material;
• Patients requiring hemodialysis;
• Patients requiring intravenous injections;
• Persons serving sentences in places of deprivation of liberty;
• Family and friends of patients with chronic hepatitis B;
• People who have promiscuous sex;
• Drug addicts;
• Tourists planning travel to settlements in which outbreaks of this disease have been recorded.

Causes of hepatitis B

The cause of the development of group B hepatitis is the penetration of the causative agent of this disease, the virus, into the human body. Patients with weakened immune systems are especially susceptible to this disease, which is affected by negative factors: alcohol, nicotine, chemical and toxic substances, drugs. Immunity can also be influenced by the diseases suffered by the patient, which resulted in metabolic disorders in the body, lack of vitamins and minerals, etc.

People who have group B hepatitis should not be in social isolation, since this viral infection is not transmitted by airborne droplets. Everyone who comes into contact with a sick person must observe the necessary precautions and personal hygiene rules. According to data obtained by specialists from different countries of the world as a result of many years of research, the course of this disease directly depends on the method of infection of the patient, as well as on his age. In the event that a patient contracted hepatitis B in a natural way (for example, during sexual intercourse), the risk of the disease becoming chronic increases for him. This form of hepatitis is most often found in young people who are not serious about their health and do not respond to alarms from the body.

How is hepatitis B transmitted?

Group B hepatitis can enter the human body only through contact with the patient's biological material:

• Sexually. In a carrier of hepatitis B, the virus is contained not only in the blood, but also in all secretions (in vaginal secretions and male sperm), therefore, with unprotected sexual contact, the risk of infection increases significantly;
• Through saliva, with a deep kiss. A person can become infected with the hepatitis B virus when kissing if they have cuts or injuries on their tongue;
• Through the blood. This method of infection is considered one of the most common. Most patients contracted the hepatitis B virus through injections with non-sterile syringes and blood transfusions. This virus is actively spreading among people who use drugs intravenously. The blood of a sick person infected with hepatitis B may remain on the instruments used by the dentist in their work. Patients are at risk of infection if equipment and instruments are not properly sterilized in dental offices. A person's contact with the patient's contaminated biological material can also occur in nail salons, in which appropriate sanitary measures are not taken.
• During childbirth, if the mother is a carrier of hepatitis. Despite the fact that the patient's pregnancy proceeds without complications, during active labor, the child will have direct contact with the mother's biological material, which means that it will be at risk of infection. To prevent the development of this disease in newborns whose mothers are carriers of hepatitis B, these babies are vaccinated immediately after birth.

The hepatitis B virus is highly resistant to aggressive temperatures, acids and alkalis. For a long time, the virus can persist in dried blood, which remains on instruments, both medical and manicure or shaving. Therefore, it is very important for each person to be extremely careful and take care of their safety in every possible way when visiting the relevant institutions.

Symptoms of hepatitis B

Many patients with hepatitis B do not have any external manifestations of this disease for a long time. It is possible to detect the virus only when carrying out a laboratory blood test, which is necessary for medical examination or registration for pregnancy. In such cases, a special analysis is done - a blood test to detect the "Australian antigen".

When hepatitis B developing in the human body has external signs, patients may experience the following symptoms:

• Nausea;
• Dizziness;
• Fast fatiguability;
• Rhinitis;
• Increased body temperature (often the temperature reaches 39-40 ° C);
• Cough;
• General weakness;
• Pain in the nasopharynx;
• Severe headaches;
• Discoloration of the skin (yellowness);
• Yellowing of the mucous membranes, eye sclera, palms;
• Discoloration of urine (it begins to foam and resembles dark beer or strong tea in color);
• Pain in the joints;
• Loss of appetite;
• Change in the color of feces (discoloration occurs);
• Heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
• Chills.

With the transition of hepatitis B to the chronic stage, in addition to the main symptoms, patients have signs of liver failure, against which the body becomes intoxicated. If at this stage of the development of the disease the patient does not undergo complex treatment, he will have a lesion of the central nervous system.

Vaccination against hepatitis B

To prevent infection with hepatitis B, people are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated early. A specially designed vaccine must be stored at a specific temperature. The vaccination against hepatitis B, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, is administered only intramuscularly. In the event that during vaccination the vaccination was given subcutaneously, it should not be counted, and the patient needs a second injection.

Not all people can take part in vaccination, since there are a number of contraindications. The vaccine should not be given:

• People who have food allergies (to beer, yeast, kvass and other foodstuffs that contain yeast);
• Pregnant women;
• Nursing mothers;
• Premature babies.

Today, there are two schemes for vaccination against hepatitis B:

• Standard (0 - 1 month - 6 months). The first injection is given to the patient on the selected day. A month later, the second vaccination is given. The third shot is given 6 months after the first vaccine.
• Alternative (0 - 1 month - 2 months). The first vaccination is given on the selected day, the second after 1 month, the third - after two months. When carrying out vaccination according to this scheme, revaccination is performed 1 year after the introduction of the first vaccine to the patient. Revaccination is prescribed to a certain category of patients - people with problems with the kidneys or the immune system.

Side effects may occur after vaccination against hepatitis B. In most cases, local reactions are observed:

• Redness of the skin in the area of vaccine administration;
• Small lump at the injection site;
• Slight discomfort while driving;
• Slight increase in temperature;
• The appearance of a rash or urticaria (it goes away on its own after a short period of time);
• Signs of a cold;
• The development of pain in the area of muscles or joints.

In medical institutions located on the territory of the Russian Federation, the following types of vaccines against hepatitis B are used:

• Indian vaccine Shanvak B;
• South Korean vaccine Euwax B;
• Belgian vaccine Engerix B;
• Cuban vaccine Eber-Biovac;
• Dutch vaccine HB-Vax-II;
• Russian vaccines Bubo-M, Bubo-Kok.

Before administering a vaccine, a healthcare professional must check its expiration date and correctly calculate the dosage, which directly depends on the patient's age. All modern hepatitis B vaccines are interchangeable. Due to this, after the first injection for the next two vaccinations, you can use drugs from other companies.

Vaccination can also be carried out for prophylactic purposes when there is a possibility of infection of the patient. After any contact with the biological material of a patient with hepatitis B, the vaccine should be administered together with immunoglobulin (this specific drug consists of ready-made antibodies that are resistant to the virus). This category of patients is vaccinated according to an alternative scheme: 0 - 1 month. - 2 months - 1 year.

Diagnosis of hepatitis B

If a person has identified symptoms that indicate the development of hepatitis B, or he has reason to believe that he could be infected with this disease, he needs to urgently visit a medical facility. During the appointment, the specialist will conduct an examination, palpate the liver area and take a history of the disease. A laboratory study of blood and urine will help to confirm or deny the primary diagnosis.

In all similar cases, the patient is given a referral to:

• Clinical and biochemical blood tests (elevated bilirubin, or AST or ALT indicators may show liver problems);
• General urine analysis;
• A blood test that detects the antigen of the virus of this form of hepatitis;
• Blood test for antibodies IgG, IgM.

Very often, patients who are suspected of having group B hepatitis are assigned a clinical laboratory study called an immunogram, thanks to which it is possible not only to study how the body reacts to this disease, but also to make a forecast for the near future. To determine the genetic material of this infectious-viral disease and determine the replication rate, the attending physician may prescribe an additional analysis - PCR. In a severe course of the disease, when the doctor suspects complications developing against the background of hepatitis B, the patient is prescribed a liver biopsy. Through this analysis, it is determined how much the structure of the liver has changed, and whether there is a malignant degeneration of its cells.

Hepatitis B treatment

If acute hepatitis B is mild, the sick person can be treated at home. First of all, the body should be detoxified, for which it is necessary to use large quantities of clean water.

The attending physician should prescribe medications to the patient to help eradicate the infection and restore liver function. During treatment, the patient must comply with bed rest and exclude any physical activity. Without fail, he should adhere to a dietary diet, thanks to which the recovery processes in the liver will take place much faster.

Acute hepatitis B in most patients goes away on their own, so they are not prescribed a special course of drug therapy. Experts can recommend supportive therapy for such patients, thanks to which the body will more easily cope with the viral infection. If, during the development of the disease, the patient's body has undergone severe intoxication, the attending physician will prescribe special solutions that are administered intravenously by the drip method. Through droppers with hemodez, toxins will be removed from the blood faster, and the patient's general well-being will improve.

With the transition of hepatitis B to the chronic stage, patients are prescribed complex treatment:

• Medicines with antiviral effects (adefovir, lamevudine, etc.);
• Drugs that can slow the development of liver sclerosis (interferons);
• Immunomodulators, thanks to which immune reactions are normalized in the patient's body;
• Hepatoprotectors, whose functions are to increase the liver's resistance at the cellular level to the hepatitis B virus (List of the best hepatoprotectors for liver restoration);
• Special vitamin and mineral complexes.

It is recommended for this category of patients to drink a large amount of liquid every day, through which the body will be detoxified.

Chronic group B hepatitis has several stages of development, proceeding cyclically:

• Replication - at this stage, the virus begins to actively multiply in the patient's body;
• Remission - upon entering this phase, the virus begins to insert its DNA into the hepatocyte genome.

To get a positive result from drug therapy, it is very important for a doctor to carry out a set of therapeutic measures precisely at the stage of replication. To do this, it is necessary to correctly determine the phase of the disease by assigning a laboratory examination to the patient. Thanks to a serological blood test, the specialist will determine the stage of the course of chronic hepatitis.

The choice of a therapeutic technique directly depends on the individual parameters of the patient. Many domestic specialists use in their work the practice of world-renowned doctors who have achieved great success in the fight against the hepatitis B virus. To fully control the patient's condition, he must be hospitalized.

In some cases, in patients who have successfully completed treatment for hepatitis B, the virus antigen remains in the blood for many years. This category of people are carriers of this infection, who must regularly undergo medical examinations, including mandatory testing.

For patients who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B disease, there are several options for the development of events:

• A person undergoes complex therapy and gets rid of a viral infection, acquiring a stable immunity to this disease;
• In a patient, an acute form of hepatitis B becomes chronic, which can be accompanied by serious complications for the body;
• After treatment, the patient becomes a carrier of the hepatitis B antigen, which for decades will not cause him anxiety. For 20 years, this virus can be present in the patient's blood without visible clinical manifestations;
• A patient who did not go to a medical facility on time develops cirrhosis or liver cancer, which requires urgent surgical intervention. For this category of patients, the risk of death increases significantly.

After completing a course of drug therapy, each patient who has had hepatitis B, for several years will be registered at the medical institution where he was treated. To exclude the occurrence of any complications, patients should take preventive measures at regular intervals, as well as carefully monitor their diet and lifestyle.

Diet for hepatitis B

Group B hepatitis is a disease that affects the liver. As a result of the development of infectious and inflammatory processes, this vital organ is affected at the microcellular level. In order to facilitate the work of the liver during treatment, the patient must adhere to a diet. Experts recommend that patients use a specially designed dietary program.

First of all, a person will have to divide his daily food intake into 5-6 meals, equivalent in volume and amount of nutrients. It is strictly forbidden during therapy to take part in mass feasts, which are usually accompanied by the use of large amounts of junk food and alcoholic beverages. In the evening, the patient should eat light foods that will not exert a strong load on the digestive system.

The following foods should be excluded from the daily diet of a hepatitis B patient:

• Spicy dishes and condiments;
• Smoked and salted products;
• Vegetables that contain essential oils in large quantities;
• Alcoholic and carbonated drinks;
• Cold drinks and ice cream;
• Fatty types of meat and fish;
• Waterfowl meat, as it puts a heavy load on the pancreas;
• Lard and other foods high in cholesterol.

This category of patients is recommended to eat daily:

• Cereals, especially oatmeal;
• Dairy products;
• Soybean, olive and vegetable oils;
• Chicken egg protein;
• Low-fat meats and fish.

Dishes should be steamed, as with such processing a maximum of useful substances is retained in the products. The daily diet should contain no more than 3,500 kcal (100 grams of proteins, 100 grams of fat, 450 grams of carbohydrates).

Read more: Diet for hepatitis C

Complications of hepatitis B

With severe hepatitis B, patients may develop various complications:

• Edema of the brain;
• Many patients have hepatic encephalopathy. The patient begins to experience anxiety, hallucinations, fear. Over time, dysfunction of the nervous system occurs, which results in depression, loss of sleep, etc. At the very last stage of encephalopathy, the patient may fall into a coma.
• Hepatic or respiratory failure;
• Cirrhosis or hepatocellular liver cancer.

When people become infected with hepatitis B, people should receive timely treatment to prevent the transition of this disease to an acute or chronic stage. The average life expectancy of patients will directly depend on the rate of progression of the disease.

Prevention of hepatitis B

To exclude the possibility of infection with hepatitis B, you must adhere to simple rules:

• Follow the rules of personal hygiene on a daily basis (it is especially important to wash your hands after visiting crowded places and after contact with money and common items);
• Avoid promiscuous sexual intercourse, and when coming into contact, use condoms, which significantly reduce the risk of infection with this disease;
• Timely vaccinate against hepatitis B (the vaccine should be purchased only in specialized pharmacies or medical institutions, where all the conditions for proper storage of the drug will be provided);
• When visiting nail salons, beauty parlors, tattoo parlors, it is necessary to monitor the masters' compliance with the rules for sanitizing instruments;
• Regularly donate blood for analysis, which is able to detect the virus at the earliest stage of development;
• Exclude contact with someone else's blood or any other biological material;
• Lead a healthy lifestyle;
• Give up alcohol and smoking;
• Strengthen immunity;
• Take vitamin and mineral complexes;
• Do sport;
• Walking in the fresh air;
• Ventilate living quarters daily.

If a person had close contact with a patient with hepatitis B, he needs to contact a medical institution, where specialists will carry out emergency prevention:

• A special drug will be introduced, the properties of which are to block the virus in the blood (immunoglobulin);
• A vaccine against hepatitis B will be administered;
• After a certain period of time, they will be re-vaccinated according to a special scheme.

Author of the article: Kletkin Maxim Evgenievich | Hepatologist

Education: Diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received at the Military Medical Academy. S. M. Kirov (2007). At the Voronezh Medical Academy. NN Burdenko graduated from residency in the specialty "Hepatologist" (2012).