Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver caused by the HBV virus. Although a vaccine for HBV is available, there is no cure for the disease. Fortunately, most adults infected with this virus eventually recover and are healthy after receiving treatment.
Step
Step 1. Visit a doctor as soon as you are exposed to the hepatitis B virus to prevent transmission
If you believe you have the hepatitis B virus, go to the doctor immediately. Injection of hepatitis B immune globulin within 24 hours of exposure can prevent hepatitis B outbreaks. If you are lucky enough to identify it at an early stage, hepatitis B can be completely prevented.
Step 2. Ask your doctor to define your case as acute or chronic hepatitis B
Most cases of hepatitis B are acute cases. Acute cases of hepatitis B, contrary to what might be assumed from the name, are infections that will go away on their own. Chronic cases of hepatitis B need to be treated with medication and treatment. Here's what to look out for if your infection is acute, or occurs in the short term:
- Since you don't need to fight the cause of the infection, discuss ways to combat the signs and symptoms of hepatitis with your doctor. Doctors have strategies to reduce pain and discomfort and make healing that happens naturally, at the right time.
- Schedule a follow-up blood test with your doctor to track the natural process of infection. This blood test will help your doctor determine whether the virus has cleared from your body.
- Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and eat only healthy foods.
Step 3. Find information about the sequence of chronic hepatitis B infection
If your doctor determines that you have chronic hepatitis B, don't worry – the disease is treatable. However, it is helpful to know the different stages of chronic hepatitis B infection:
- Phase One - immune system tolerance. For hepatitis B patients who develop infection at a very young age or at birth, the body does not fight back against infection and the infection effectively remains active in the body. This phase lasts for years - and for decades - until it enters the second stage.
- Stage Two - cleansing the immune system. For children who have passed the tolerance of the immune system or adults who have recently contracted an infection, the body begins to fight the infection completely. During this phase, the body attacks the liver cells that contain the virus. This sometimes causes liver injury, inflammation, and scarring. Patients in this phase are prone to cirrhosis.
- Stage Three - Silent Phase. After the cleansing stage, the virus reduces its activity and becomes less active. Blood tests return to normal or near normal, although any previously existing scar tissue (fibrosis) remains. Small or large attacks sometimes occur when the virus becomes active again.
Step 4. For chronic hepatitis B patients, talk to your doctor about tests to measure viral load
The goal of hepatitis B treatment is primarily to reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis. And doctors have found a link between the degree of saturation of the hepatitis B virus in your liver (viral load) and the likelihood of developing or developing cirrhosis.
Patients with a high viral load (one million copies of virus per milliliter of blood) had an approximately 33% risk of developing cirrhosis over a decade, whereas patients with a low viral load (less than 300 virus copies per milliliter) had only a 4.5% chance of developing cirrhosis. to develop cirrhosis over a decade
Step 5. Talk to your doctor about antiviral drugs and a drug called peginterferon
For chronic cases of hepatitis B, antiviral drugs are often used to lower the viral load and interfere with its ability to damage the liver. Peginterferon is a very strong antiviral drug that is commonly prescribed to people who have hepatitis B.
Step 6. If chronic hepatitis B develops very quickly, talk to your doctor about trying a liver transplant
If you begin to experience liver failure, you may need a liver transplant. Liver transplants usually come from deceased donors, although some of them come from living donors.
Step 7. Limit alcohol intake and talk to your doctor before taking pharmaceutical drugs
Alcohol is processed in the liver, which may be too busy or in a weak condition to fight your hepatitis infection. Try not to drink alcohol during the cleansing phase of your inflections, as well as during attacks. Also be aware of over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, which can also affect the liver.
