liver and gallbladder disorders
Hepatitis B, Chronic
Introduction
Chronic hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus and that has lasted more than 6 months. Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms, but some feel generally ill and tired and lose their appetite. Having chronic hepatitis B increases the risk of liver cancer. Doctors diagnose hepatitis B based on blood tests and occasionally do a liver biopsy to determine how damaged the liver is. Not everyone with chronic hepatitis B needs treatment, but if chronic hepatitis B is damaging the liver (causing inflammation or scarring), an antiviral drug is started. Treatment with antiviral drugs can help suppress the virus, prevent further inflammation and scarring in the liver, and allow any already damaged areas to heal. However there is no cure. (See also Overview of Hepatitis , An estimated 862,000 people in the United States and about 257 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis B. In the Far East and parts of Africa, hepatitis B virus accounts for many cases of chronic hepatitis, Cirrhosis of the Liver (severe scarring of the liver), and Overall, about 5 to 10% of people with acute hepatitis B develop Hepatitis B, Chronic . The younger the person is when acute hepatitis B occurs, the higher the risk of developing chronic hepatitis B: Infants: 90% Children aged 1 to 5 years: 25 to 50% Adults: About 5% If the level of hepatitis B virus (viral load) is high in pregnant women, they are often given antiviral drugs during the last trimester of pregnancy to prevent transmission of the virus from mother to child. Acute hepatitis B becomes chronic in about 40% of people being treated with hemodialysis and in up to 20% of people with a weakened immune system. Chronic hepatitis B tends to worsen, sometimes rapidly but sometimes over decades, leading to Cirrhosis of the Liver . Chronic hepatitis B also increases the risk of Some people who have chronic hepatitis B also have chronic hepatitis D. If untreated, the combination causes cirrhosis in up to 70% of affected people. 