HEPATITIS B

 Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver .

Most adults who get it have it for a short time
and then get better. This is called acute
hepatitis B.
 Sometimes the virus causes a long-term
infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over
time, it can damage your liver. Babies and
young children infected with the virus are
more likely to get chronic hepatitis B.
 The etiological agent of hepatitis B infection, formerly
known as serum hepatitis, is the hepatitis B virus,
which is a Hepadnavirus that attacks the liver causing
inflammation of the liver (4, 5).You can
have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have
symptoms. If you do, they can make you feel like you
have the flu. But as long as you have the virus, you can
spread it to others.
 It's caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread through
contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected
person.
 You may get hepatitis B if you:
 Have sex with an infected person without using
a condom.
 Share needles (used for injecting drugs) with an
infected person.
 Get a tattoo or piercing with tools that weren't
sterilized.
 Share personal items like razors ortoothbrushes with an
infected person.
 MODE OF TRANSMISSION

The hepatitis B virus is a DNA virus belonging to

the Hepadnaviridae family of viruses. Hepatitis B virus
is not related to the hepatitis A virus or the hepatitis C
virus.
Some people with hepatitis B never clear the virus
and are chronically infected. Approximately 2 billion
individuals in the world have evidence of past or
present hepatitis B, and 2.2 million people in the U.S.
are chronically infected with hepatitis B. Many of these
people appear healthy but can spread the virus to
others.
 Hepatitis B infection is transmitted through
sexual contact, contact with contaminated blood (for
example, through shared needles used for illicit,
intravenous drugs), and from mother to child.
Hepatitis B is not spread through food, water, or
casual contact.
Serologic (blood) markers specifically for
hepatitis B virus are used to diagnose hepatitis B viral
infection. The blood tests can also identify the stage
of the infection (past or present) and people who are
at highest risk for complications.
 Injury to the liver by hepatitis B virus is caused by
the body's immune response as the body attempts to
eliminate the virus.
 SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
 Most people do not experience any symptoms
during the acute infection phase. However, some
people have acute illness with symptoms that last
several weeks, including yellowing of the skin
and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, extreme fatigue,
nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. A small
subset of persons with acute hepatitis can
develop acute liver failure which can lead to
death.

 In some people, the hepatitis B virus can also
cause a chronic liver infection that can later
develop into cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.

 Abdominal Pain
 Dark Urine
 Fever
 Joint Pain
 Loss of Appetite
 Nausea and Vomiting
 Weakness and Fatiuge
Who is at risk for chronic disease?

 The likelihood that infection becomes chronic depends

upon the age at which a person becomes infected.
Children less than 6 years of age who become infected
with the hepatitis B virus are the most likely to develop
chronic infections.

 In infants and children:

 80–90% of infants infected during the first year of life
develop chronic infections; and
 30–50% of children infected before the age of 6 years
develop chronic infections.

 In adults:
 less than 5% of otherwise healthy persons who are
infected as adults will develop chronic infection; and
 20–30% of adults who are chronically infected will
develop cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.
 DiagnosisIt is not possible, on clinical grounds, to
differentiate hepatitis B from hepatitis caused by other
viral agents and, hence, laboratory confirmation of the
diagnosis is essential. A number of blood tests are
available to diagnose and monitor people with hepatitis
B. They can be used to distinguish acute and chronic
infections.