My boyfriend has been diagnosed with hepatitis B and I know very little about it!
Question: I am told it is highly infectious and judging by the period he's had the symptoms it has close to a year. My questions are:
1. What are the chances that i have it too
2. As there is no known cure what can I do to help him recover
3. Am told food can help but which ones specifically must he eat
4. Are there other symptoms I should expect apart from the jaundice and side pain that he has at the moment
Answers: I am told it is highly infectious and judging by the period he's had the symptoms it has close to a year. My questions are:
1. What are the chances that i have it too
2. As there is no known cure what can I do to help him recover
3. Am told food can help but which ones specifically must he eat
4. Are there other symptoms I should expect apart from the jaundice and side pain that he has at the moment
Symptoms
Less than half of those with short-term (acute) hepatitis B infections have symptoms. Symptoms include:
Jaundice (the skin and whites of the eyes appear yellow). Although jaundice is the defining sign of hepatitis B, it does not occur in most cases. Jaundice usually appears after other symptoms have started to go away.
Extreme tiredness (fatigue).
Mild fever.
Headache.
Loss of appetite.
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Constant discomfort on the right side of the abdomen under the rib cage, where the liver is located. In most people, the discomfort is made worse when their bodies are jarred or if they overwork themselves.
Diarrhea or constipation.
Muscle aches.
Joint pain.
Skin rash.
Most people with chronic HBV have no symptoms.
If you were infected with acute HBV but had no symptoms, you may not find out that you once had hepatitis B, or that you currently have long-term (chronic) HBV infection, until you have a routine blood test or donate blood or until a family member or someone you live with is found to be infected. Some people never know they have hepatitis B until a health professional finds that they have cirrhosis or liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). However, this is uncommon.
Treatment Overview
Treatment of hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection depends on how active the virus is and whether you are at risk for liver damage such as cirrhosis. Short-term (acute) hepatitis B usually goes away on its own; home treatment is used to relieve symptoms and help prevent spread of the virus. In long-term (chronic) HBV infection, treatment includes monitoring the condition and using antiviral medications to prevent liver damage. If hepatitis B has severely damaged your liver, a liver transplant may be considered.
The American Association for the Study of Liver Disease has made recommendations on who should receive antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B based on the presence of hepatitis B antigens in your blood, the level of HBV DNA in your blood, and the levels of your liver enzymes. 6
Initial treatment
Your initial treatment for hepatitis B (HBV) infection depends on whether you are seeing your health professional because you believe you may have recently been infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), you have the symptoms of acute HBV infection, or you have chronic HBV infection.
If you believe you have recently been exposed to HBV, you should receive a shot of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and the first of three immunization shots of hepatitis B vaccine. It is important to receive this treatment within 7 days after a needle stick and within 2 weeks after sexual contact that may have exposed you to the virus. The sooner you receive treatment after exposure, the more effective treatment is.
If you have the symptoms of acute hepatitis B, treatment with medication is usually not needed. Home treatment usually will relieve your symptoms and help prevent the spread of the virus. To help relieve symptoms and prevent the spread of the infection:
Slow down to reduce fatigue. Reduce your activity level to match your energy level. Don't go to work or school unless your workload can be reduced to match your energy level. Avoid strenuous exercise. As you start to feel better, go back to your regular activities gradually.
Eat right. Even though food may not appeal to you, it is important to get adequate nutrition. For most people, nausea and loss of appetite become worse as the day goes on. Try eating a substantial (but not heavy) meal in the morning and lighter meals later in the day.
Drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration. It is important that you keep your body well-hydrated when you have hepatitis B, especially if you have been vomiting. Drink plenty of water and, if you can tolerate them, drink fruit juices and broth to obtain additional calories. Rehydration drinks help replenish electrolytes.
Avoid alcohol and drugs. Hepatitis B makes it difficult for your liver to process drugs and alcohol. If you take drugs (prescription or illegal) or drink alcohol when you have hepatitis, their effects may be more powerful and may last longer. In addition, alcohol and some drugs can worsen liver damage. You should avoid alcohol until your health professional feels that your liver is completely healed, which may take as long as 3 to 4 months. Ask your health professional about using prescription medications.
Try to control itching. People with hepatitis B sometimes develop itchy skin. You can use nonprescription medications, such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton, to control itching. Talk to your health professional before taking nonprescription medications.
Prevent the spread of HBV by informing people you live with or sleep with about the illness, not sharing personal toiletries (such as razors and toothbrushes), and using a condom or abstaining from sex.
For more information on treating the symptoms of acute HBV infection, see the Home Treatment section of this topic.
If you have chronic HBV infection, treatment depends on how active the virus is in your body and the potential for liver damage. The goal of treatment is to stop liver damage by preventing the virus from multiplying.
Antiviral medication is used if the virus is active and you are at risk for liver damage. Medication slows the ability of the virus to multiply. Antiviral medicine for hepatitis B includes:
Interferons such as interferon alfa-2b and pegylated interferon alfa-2a.
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) such as adefovir, lamivudine, and entecavir.
Should I use antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B?
Whether or not you are taking medication, you will need to visit your health professional regularly. He or she will do blood tests to monitor your liver function and the activity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in your body. Some of the tests can determine whether HBV is actively multiplying in your liver, which increases your risk for chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis can lead to liver damage and disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).
Ongoing treatment
Ongoing treatment for chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection consists of using antiviral medication (if necessary) and seeing your health professional on a regular basis to monitor the virus and check for liver damage.
Antiviral medication for hepatitis B includes:
Interferons such as interferon alfa-2b and pegylated interferon alfa-2a.
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) such as adefovir, lamivudine, and entecavir.
Should I use antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B?
Whether or not you are taking medication, you will need to visit your health professional regularly. He or she will do blood tests to monitor your liver function and the activity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in your body. Some of the tests can determine whether HBV is actively multiplying in your liver, which increases your risk for chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis can lead to liver damage and disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).
Treatment if the condition gets worse
Hepatitis B (HBV) infection can lead to liver damage and diseases such as cirrhosis or liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). If you develop significant liver damage because of hepatitis and your condition becomes life-threatening, you may need a liver transplant.
1. Unprotected sex or contact with blood can result in transmission
2. Hepatitis B clears itself spontaneously in otherwise healthy adults
3. No foods are proved to be effective, but alcohol should be avoided
4. General ill-health, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, body aches, mild fever, dark urine. This eventually leads to mild to severe jaundice.
it is difficute and long dissease,some will never cure. it can has severe side effects. you can got it if you takes his blood , use injections (needles) after him, and by intercause. ( 30%). take care, how he gets it? is he taking drugs?
Tell him to use a condom and take care as for catching it anything from a gay relationship to a dustman and a lot in between
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) lives in blood and other body fluids. HBV is transmitted from person to person through unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person, or through the sharing of infected needles or other sharp instruments that break the skin. Babies born to an infected mother have a 90 to 95 percent chance of contracting HBV during childbirth. If a baby is infected, the virus remains in its body for many years, silently attacking liver cells and eventually leading to cirrhosis or, in some cases, cancer of the liver. Even though an infected baby may show few or no signs of infection, the infant continues to be infectious and can pass the virus on to others. In up to 10 percent of HBV infections, patients develop chronic hepatitis B.
Symtpoms If the diagnostic symptoms of hepatitis