Hepatitis B virus is an insidious disease that remains relevant all over the world because it takes a chronic form and can cause serious complications in the liver. Both acute and chronic forms of this virus exist, and when it stays in the body for more than six months, the disease transitions into a chronic stage.
How is Hepatitis B transmitted?
Although various transmission routes such as saliva, sexual secretions, mucus, and blood are mentioned in the literature, in practice, infection most commonly occurs through blood. These cases of infection are mainly recorded through the following means:
- In dental and gynecological offices under non-sterile conditions
- Through drug addiction and tattoos, which are very common among youth
- Practically through all other means in contact with blood
What are the complications of the disease?
When not diagnosed in time and check-up examinations are not performed, patients may develop complications up to hepatocellular carcinoma. Because the Hepatitis B virus takes a chronic form, patients often consult a doctor at the very end, and this virus has a very peculiar feature: it lays the foundation for a malignant tumor even before cirrhosis forms in the liver tissue.
Is Hepatitis B curable?
Nowadays, we have antiviral drugs that improve year by year and have fewer side effects, but due to the lack of the body's resistance to the virus in our patients, we cannot say that there is a complete cure for the virus; with treatment, we stop the stress factor. I do not recommend antiviral treatment to our patients who are diagnosed as Hepatitis B carriers, because using antiviral drugs without a specialist's recommendation is harmful to the patient.
How to protect against Hepatitis B?
The way to protect against Hepatitis B is the vaccine, and adults can also get vaccinated after checking for antibodies in the blood. We have one goal, which is prophylaxis, and by administering the Hepatitis B vaccine, we prevent infection. The virus is not transmitted by air, through objects, by greeting, meeting, or drinking water from the same glass; it is transmitted only through blood.
How is the treatment decision made?
When the Hepatitis B virus is detected, we do not rush to prescribe medications because the patient must first go through certain procedures, and examinations must be conducted to determine whether treatment is necessary. The following steps are followed during the examination process:
- The patient's complaints are listened to and blood tests are examined
- The viral load is checked
- If the viral load turns out to be high, the liver is evaluated elastrographically
How is the condition of the liver determined?
To accurately assess the condition of the liver, an elastography device is used in modern hepatology, which replaces biopsy in detecting and specifying fibrosis. Elastography examination is a completely painless and bloodless method; the patient lies on their back, raises their right arm under their head, and rays are sent with slight pressure through the intercostal space.