Hepatitis

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*Overview

-Hepatitis is a serious infection caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks the liver, leading to inflammation. The virus is not spread by sneezing or coughing, but it can transmit from person to person through human fluids. Most hepatitis B cases are acute (short term), lasting less than six months. But there are some situations that it becomes chronic and increases your risk of having liver failure, cancer or cirrhosis (permanent scar presents in the liver). This disease can be prevented by vaccines, but there are not treating methods nowadays

*Causes

-Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is passed from person to person through blood, semen, and other fluids. 

-Some common ways that HBV can spread are

+Sexual contact: having unprotected sex with someone who is infected with this disease can get you the virus

+Sharing of needles and accidental needle sticks: HBV can also spread through needles 

+Mother to child: pregnant women infected with HBV can pass the virus to their babies during childbirth

-When being infected with HBV, you might deal with either short-lived infection (acute) or long term infection (chronic)

+Acute HBV infection: it usually lasts less than six months. The immune system is able to kill the virus in the body and you should recover within a few months. However, sometimes acute infection can lead to chronic infection

+Chronic HBV infection: it lasts more than six months which means that the immune system can not fight against the virus. This could result in some serious illnesses such as liver cancer and cirrhosis. The younger you are when being infected with hepatitis B, the higher your risk of the infection becoming chronic 

*Symptoms

-The symptoms usually appear about one to four months after being infected

+Dark or yellowish urine

+Fever

+Loss of appetite

+Yellowing skin and eyes

+Weakness and fatigue

+Nausea and vomiting

+Joint pain

+Abdominal pain

-You should contact your doctor if you know that you have been exposed to hepatitis B immediately 

*Risk factors

-Have unprotected sex with multiple sex partners or with some infected people

-Share needles during drug use

-Work in constructions that have many needle sticks

-Men have sex with men

-An infant born to an infected mother

-Live in or travel to regions with high infection rates of HBV such as Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Eastern Europe

*Complications

-Chronic HBV infection can lead to serious illnesses

+Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver): negatively affects the liver’s ability to function

+Liver cancer: chronic hepatitis B infection increases the risk of having liver cancer

+Liver failure: the vital functions of the liver will stop and if this occurs, you need to get liver transplant to stay alive

+Other conditions: kidney disease, inflammation of blood vessels

*Prevention

-The vaccine is given as two injections separated by a month or four injections over six months, depending on the type of vaccine. The vaccine is strongly recommended for newborns, adolescents who do not get vaccinated at birth, people who live with those who have hepatitis B, health care workers, travelers, people who use drugs, sexual partners of someone who has hepatitis B