Things you need to know about Hypertitis B

Hypertitis B was originally known as "serum hypertitis" and has caused current epidemics in Asia and Africa. Hypertitis B is actually the inflammation of the liver and is caused by the Hypertitis B virus (HBV), a member of the Hypednavirus family and one of hundreds of unrelated viral species which cause viral hypertitis. Moreover, Hypertitis B is recognized as endemic in China and various other parts of Asia. The proportion of the world's population currently infected with the virus is 3 to 6%, but up to a third have been exposed. Chronic hypertitis B may cause liver cirrhosis which may lead to liver cancer which is a fatal disease with very poor response to current chemotherapy.

Hypertitis B is transmitted through exposure to bodily fluids containing the virus which includes unprotected sexual contact, blood transfusions, re-use of contaminated needles and syringes, vertical transmission from mother to child during childbirth etc. In low prevalence areas, such as the continental United States, injection drug abuse and unprotected sex are the primary methods. In moderate prevalence areas, the disease is predominantly spread among children. In high prevalence areas, such as South East Asia, vertical transmission is most common. Roughly 16-40% of unimmunized sexual partners of individuals with Hypertitis B will be infected through sexual contact.

Hypertitis B may either be acute or chronic. The greater a person's age at the time of infection, the greater the chance their body will clear the infection. More than 95% of people who become infected as adults or older children will stage a full recovery and develop protective immunity to the virus. However, only 5% of new-borns that acquire the infection from their mother at birth will clear the infection. Of those infected between the age of one to six, 70% will clear the infection.

Several treatments are available for chonric hypertitis B patients which increases a person's chance of clearing the infection. Treatments come in the form of antivirals such as lamivudine and adefovir and immune system modulators such as interferon alpha. Some individuals are much more likely to respond to one treatment than others. It does not appear that combination therapy offers any advantages. Treatment strategies should be individualized by a doctor and patient. Considerations include the risks associated with each treatment, a person's likelihood of clearing the virus with treatment, a person's risk for developing complications of persistent infection, and development of viral resistance with some of the treatments.

To prevent oneself from contracting hypertitis B, vaccinations are available. Iin fact, there are several vaccines developed for the prevention of hypertitis B virus infection. The vaccine was originally prepared from plasma obtained from patients who had long-standing hypertitis B virus infection. However, currently, these are more often made using recombinant DNA technology, though plasma-derived vaccines continue to be used; the two types of vaccines are equally effective and safe.