liver and gallbladder disorders
Hepatitis B, Chronic
Diagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis B
Blood tests Doctors may suspect chronic hepatitis B when People have typical symptoms. Blood tests (done for other reasons) detect abnormally high liver enzymes. People have previously been diagnosed with acute hepatitis B. Testing for chronic hepatitis usually begins with blood tests to determine how well the liver is functioning and whether it is damaged ( Liver Blood Tests ). Liver tests involve measuring the levels of liver enzymes and other substances produced by the liver. These tests may help determine the severity of liver damage. If tests suggest hepatitis, doctors do other blood tests to check for the hepatitis B and C viruses. Both can cause chronic hepatitis. These blood tests can identify parts of specific viruses (antigens), specific antibodies produced by the body to fight the virus, and sometimes genetic material (RNA or DNA) of the virus. If doctors strongly suspect only hepatitis B, they may do blood tests for only that virus. Doctors do blood tests to measure viral load, which is the amount of the hepatitis B virus's genetic material (DNA) that is present. If chronic hepatitis B is confirmed, doctors often also check for antibodies to hepatitis D, which can also be present, and for HIV infection and hepatitis C because these infections are often spread in the same ways (through contact with bodily fluids, such as blood or semen). A Biopsy of the Liver or other tests are occasionally done to determine how badly the liver is damaged. If people have chronic hepatitis B, screening for liver cancer is done every 6 months. The following are done: Ultrasonography Sometimes blood tests to measure the level of alpha-fetoprotein The level of alpha-fetoprotein—a protein normally produced by immature liver cells in fetuses—usually increases when liver cancer is present. 