WHAT IS HEPATITIS B???

Hepatitis B is an infectious illness which leads to liver inflammation. It is caused by a blood-borne hep B virus (HBV) from the dsDNA hepadnaviridae genus. 

Structure of the virus 

A newly acquired infection is known as acute hepatitis B.

Symptoms include:

• Liver inflammation
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Jaundice
• Gastrointestinal symptoms like loss of appetite, nausea, vommiting and light-coloured stool

However, 90-95% of the infected people usually manage to fight off the infection successfully after a short time. These symptoms will disappear after weeks to months. They will also develop immunity against hepatitis B which lasts a lifetime meaning they will not get the infection again. 

Someone who is infected with hepatitis B for more than 6 months would be considered a carrier even if he/she does not show any symptoms of it. They will be able to transmit it to others.

Transmission is usually from an infected person to another via infectious blood or fluids contaminated with infected blood such as semen and vaginal fluids.

This can occur through:

• Direct blood-to-blood contact (e.g. during blood transfusions)
• Using unsterile needles
• Unprotected sex during sexual contact
• Perinatal (from an infected mother to her child during delivery)

However, hepatitis B cannot be spread by physical methods such as holding hands, hugging, kissing, coughing, sneezing, breastfeeding or sharing food and utensils.

Unfortunately, some people whose body cannot get rid of the infection after 6 months will then develop chronic hepatitis B which is more severe.

Chronic hepatitis B is an on-going infection which lasts for more than 6 months. When a person develops chronic hepatitis B, he/she would not be cured of it.

Chronic hepatitis B causes fatal conditions like:

• Long term inflammation leading to permanent liver damage
• Scarring of the liver known as cirrhosis (hardening of the liver causing the tissue to scar and stop working)

• Liver cancer (also known as hepatocellular carcinoma)
• Liver disease 

Also, about two-thirds of people with chronic hepatitis B are chronic carriers. They do not know of their infection since their body does not show any symptoms. However, they actually do have the virus and can transmit it to other people.

(Click on photo for larger image)

Hepatitis B is the most common and serious liver infection in the world. It causes 80% of all primary liver cancers. 15-20% of chronic hepatitis B carriers die from liver disease. More than 600,000 chronic carriers die from liver-related disease every year.

Information from these sources:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hepatitis_b/article_em.htm 
http://www.hepb.org/hepb/about_hepatitis_b.htm 

Photos from these sources:

http://www.abcam.com/index.html?pageconfig=resource&rid=13135
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsHepatitisAwareness/?source=govdelivery

http://www.sgh.com.sg/about-us/newsroom/News-Articles-Reports/Pages/Manypeopleunawaretheyhavehepatitis(TheStraitsTimes,.aspx

http://depts.washington.edu/psworks/glossary/