Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a burden to many countries worldwide as it is one of the leading cause of end-stage liver disease and mortality[1-2]. Approximately one-third of the world’s population has had a past HBV infection while 350 to 400 million people are chronically infected with HBV[1-3]. However, the Institute of Medicine Committee states that 65% of these chronically infected HBV patients are not aware of their infection as it shows no symptoms until it has reached advanced stages of liver disease. Since HBV can be asymptomatic at initial stages, screening and blood tests are carried out to initiate early treatment options for the patients. The current treatments available for HBV management is interferon alfa therapy, nucleoside and nucleosite analogue therapy.
One of the treatments available for HBV patients is interferon alfa therapy. It is administered subcutaneously. There are two types of interferon therapy which is standard (IFN) and pegylated (PEG-IFN) interferon alfa therapy. According to Bhattacharya et al[1], although both treatments aim to limit viral propagation in patients with either positive or negative hepatitis B antigen, it is reported that PEG-IFN is preferred as it is found to decrease HBV DNA level more than IFN. Similarly, Papatheodoridis G et al[2] also agrees that PEG-IFN is preferred over IFN. In fact, the report states that IFN is being replaced by PEG-IFN as PEG-IFN lack antiviral resistance and is able to maintain an undetectable level of HBA DNA in sustained off-treatment response[2]. Not only that, PEG-IFN is more patient-friendly as it is only administered once weekly compared to IFN which has to be administered several times a week. However, PEG-IFN is not suitable...
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...treat HBV, only a few agents are proven to be effective and safe as “viral resistance limits their long-term success” as quoted by Scaglione S[3]. It is clear that further studies have to be done in order to overcome the resistance barrier of the virus. Not only that, healthcare sectors should work on educating the public so that they are fully aware of the management of HBV.
Works Cited
Bhattacharya D, Thio C. Review of hepatitis B therapeutics. Clinical infectious diseases. 2010;51(10):1201--1208.
2. Papatheodoridis G, Buti M, Cornberg M, LA H, Janssen D, Pol S et al. Corrigendum to:‘‘EASL clinical practice guidelines: Management of chronic hepatitis B virus infection’’[J Hepatol 2012; 57: 167--185]. Journal of Hepatology. 2013;58:201.
3. Scaglione S, Lok A. Effectiveness of hepatitis B treatment in clinical practice. Gastroenterology. 2012;142(6):1360--1368.
Hepatitis B virus infection is caused by a DNA virus belonging to the hepadnaviridae family of viruses. Approximately 2.2 million people in the United States of America are infected with Hepatitis B virus. Many of these patients, though they appear healthy, continue to spread the virus to others. Hepatitis B virus infection can be transmitted in the following ways: contact with contaminated blood (shared needles), sexual contact, and from mother to child. Unlike Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B is not spread through food, water, or causal contact. 95% of adults who get Hepatitis B can clear the virus through their system. However the remainder of the adults go on to develop chronic hepatitis B infection. This can
The Hepatitis B virus is a disease that affects the liver and results in swelling and loss of normal function in the liver. It is estimated that 350 million people are infected with Hepatitis B worldwide, with 50 million new cases diagnosed every year.(1) In the Unit...
There is 1.4 million people infected with CHB in United States (CDC, 2017). Even though the incidence of CHB has decreased in the U.S. two ethnic groups with highest prevalence of CYB in U.S. are Asian with 1 in 12 Asian Americans have CHB, and 1in 10 African-born in U.S. has CHB (HepBMD, 2017). Approximately 90% of infants that get HBV becomes chronically infected and 1 out of 4 dies (CDC, 2017). A person with CHB is one hundred times more likely to develop liver cancer. An estimated 686,000 people die every year worldwide for complications of HBV 2,000 people in U.S. die yearly from HBV related liver
middle of paper ... ... More awareness about valley fever among the general community and among healthcare providers is needed. Increased awareness can help avoid missed diagnoses. For example, one study showed that valley fever patients who knew about the disease before visiting a doctor were more likely to ask to be tested and were diagnosed sooner than patients who didn’t know about the disease.
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a virus that attacks the liver. The virus is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. This can occur through direct blood-to-blood contact, unprotected sex, use of contaminated needles, and from an effected mother to her newborn during the delivery process. The majority of people do not have noticeable symptoms when they are first infected with the HBV. People who do not know they are infected with the HBV, their body can respond in different ways. I learned that some of the common symptoms of Hepatitis B infection include fever, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, loss of appetite, mild nausea, vomiting, and dark-colored urine. Some of the serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention and maybe even hospitalization are: severe nausea and vomiting, yellow eyes and skin (jaundice), bloated or swollen stomach.
HAV is known to be an infectious disease that usually occurs in children and young adults .The disease is usually transmitted from person to person through contaminated food, liquids or oral fecal route. An example would be when someone is carrying the virus and doesn’t wash their hands after using the restroom and then puts food in their mouth. HAV is most common in developing countries because of the living conditions and inadequate water, poor sewage facilities and sanitary conditions. The highest HAV levels in the world are from India,” Earlier reports suggest that India is hyperendemic for HAV infection2,4-6 with very high infection rates,” (Sowmyanarayanan). Most HAV are without severe complications, “Virus HAV infection rarely causes fulminant hepatic failure in people…,” (Vento,p.1) . The symptoms for HAV are high fever, nausea, vomiting and jaundice...
Hepatitis B is a bacterial infection that displays symptoms like a visible rash on the surface of the skin, headache, abdominal pain, fatigue, anorexia, chills, severe liver damage, and can even lead to death. It can be contracted through close contact, especially sexual contact, through lesions on the skin from an infected person (Leu). Another required vaccination is Tdap. “It usually enters the body through the mouth and begins its replication in the throat and gastrointestinal tract. It moves to the bloodstream and continues to replicate and destroy motor neurons in the central nervous system. These are the motor neurons responsible for control of the muscles for swallowing, circulation, respiration and movement of the trunk, arms and legs” (Furnari). The last required vaccination is Hib. Symptoms for Hib include asthma, upper respiratory tract infections, lung disease, recurrent bronchitis, and death. Each of these vaccinations are required by schools to ensure the health of their
Hepatitis B is a DNA viral infection that causes damage and inflammation to the liver. It was first discovered in 1965 by Dr. Baruch Blumberg. The HBV virus is very contagious and is even thought to be the most serious form of viral hepatitis and the most common viral infection on Earth. “HBV is 100 times more infectious than HIV.” (Green, 2002, pg. 7) The virus can survive for about one week outside the body on a dry surface. According to Green (2002, pg. 7), “One in twenty Americans has been infected with the virus at some point in their lives.” Between the ages of 15-39 is when 75% of new HBV infections occur, according to Green (2002, pg.8).
The signs and symptoms of blood borne pathogens vary based on the type of disease it is and the ability of a person’s immune system to fight it off. In most cases hepatitis B does not need to be treated and the body can fight it off on its own. However a long-term infection can develop in some people that can cause liver damage. There is a vaccination available to prevent acquiring the disease. The signs and symptoms for hepatitis C are usually mild. It can take two weeks to six months after contact before signs begin to show, or there may not be any symptoms at all. Hepatitis C typically becomes is a long-term infection and after many years will cause liver ...
1a - Epidemiology of acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Norway, 1992-2009 - Gražina Rimšelienė1,2*, Øivind Nilsen2, Hilde Kløvstad2, Hans Blystad2 and Preben Aavitsland2
“Improved sanitation, food safety and immunization are the most effective ways to combat hepatitis A.” (World Health Organization, 2017) Good hand hygiene is essential in preventing the spread of Hepatitis A. Proper sewage disposal systems are also important in prevention of Hepatitis A within communities. If a person is traveling to an area where hepatitis A is prevalent, they should avoid ingesting water and uncooked fruits and vegetables. Another important way to prevent Hepatitis A is immunization. A vaccine for Hepatitis A has been available in the US since 1996. Commonly children will become immunized between the age of 12 to 23 months, however an adult can also be vaccinated at any time. Traveling out of the country, using illegal drugs, homosexual men, and anyone who comes in contact with an infected person or animal are recommended to be immunized. The final way Hepatitis A can be prevented is with immune globulin. Blood from an already immune person will be injected into another person giving the recipient protective antibodies. Immune globulin will protect a person from exposure to Hepatitis A for 2 weeks. (Center for Disease Control,
Wolf, David. "Cirrhosis." Medscape reference. WebMd LLC, Sep 22 2011. Web. 4 Nov 2011. .
There is a disease spreading out in the world called Hepatitis C. It affects the liver and may cause the liver to fail. This disease is caused by a virus called Hepatitis C virus which is also known as HCV. About 32,000 people are affected with this disease per year only in the United States area. Some It’s a disease with many symptoms and many causes. of these symptoms are easy bruising, upset stomach and fever. These are just some of the many symptoms that come from the virus. Hepatitis Cs nature of the causative agent is determined by many things. The biological data of this disease is filled so much information. It is estimated that over 180 million people have gotten Hepatitis C and it is growing.
Hepatitis B, an infectious disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV, a DNA virus), was formerly called serum hepatitis, inoculation hepatitis and post-transfusion hepatitis. Infection with HBV may result in acute, fulminant or chronic hepatitis, sometimes even resulting in a chronic asymptomatic carrier state, apart from hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis (Davis 179). The disease is transmitted when an individual comes in contact with infected blood or objects. It may also be transferred from an infected mother to her infant either during or after birth (Zuckerman et al. 211). Transmission may also occur by accidental inoculation from infected needles and hospital equipment, intravenous drug abuse, body piercing, tattooing, and mouth-mouth kissing (Zuckerman et al. 210). The risk of Hepatitis B is particularly high in individuals with multiple sex partners, and in homosexuals. The HBV virus occurs in morphologically different forms in the serum of infected individuals. HBV infection has an incubation period of about 75 days. Systemic symptoms of the disease include fatigue, fever, dyspepsia, arthralgia, malaise, and rash, while local symptoms include hepatomegaly, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stools (Davis 179; Zuckerman et al. 210).
Hepatitis A virus, until 1 week after onset of illness or as directed by the health department when passive immunoprophylaxis (currently, immune serum globulin) has been administered to appropriate children and staff and a licensed physician states in writing the child may