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SIGNS
& SYMPTOMS
|
About
30% of persons have no signs or symptoms.
Signs and symptoms are less common in children
than adults.
|
- jaundice
- fatigue
- abdominal
pain
|
- loss
of appetite
- nausea,
vomiting
- joint
pain
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|
CAUSE
|
|
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LONG-TERM
EFFECTS WITHOUT VACCINATION
|
Chronic
infection occurs in:
- 90%
of infants infected at birth
- 30%
of children infected at age 1 - 5 years
- 6%
of persons infected after age 5 years
Death
from chronic liver disease occurs in:
- 15-25%
of chronically infected persons
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|
TRANSMISSION
|
·
Occurs
when blood or body fluids from an infected person
enters the body of a person who is not immune.
·
HBV
is spread through having sex with an infected
person without using a condom (the efficacy of
latex condoms in preventing infection with HBV is
unknown, but their proper use may reduce
transmission), sharing needles or
"works" when "shooting" drugs,
through needlesticks or sharps exposures on the
job, or from an infected mother to her baby during
birth.
Persons
at risk for HBV infection might also be at risk
for infection with hepatitis C virus (Hepatitis C Virus) or HIV.
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|
RISK
GROUPS
|
- Persons
with multiple sex partners or diagnosis of a
sexually transmitted disease
- Men
who have sex with men
- Sex
contacts of infected persons
- Injection
drug users
- Household
contacts of chronically infected persons
|
|
|
PREVENTION
|
- Hepatitis
B vaccine is the best protection.
- If
you are having sex, but not with one steady
partner, use latex condoms correctly and every
time you have sex. The efficacy of latex
condoms in preventing infection with HBV is
unknown, but their proper use may reduce
transmission.
- If
you are pregnant, you should get a blood test
for hepatitis B; Infants born to HBV-infected
mothers should be given HBIG (hepatitis B
immune globulin) and vaccine within 12 hours
after birth.
- Do
not shoot drugs; if you shoot drugs, stop and
get into a treatment program; if you can't
stop, never share needles, syringes, water, or
"works", and get vaccinated against
hepatitis A and B.
- Do
not share personal care items that might have
blood on them (razors, toothbrushes).
- Consider
the risks if you are thinking about getting a
tattoo or body piercing. You might get
infected if the tools have someone else's
blood on them or if the artist or piercer does
not follow good health practices.
- If
you have or had hepatitis B, do not donate
blood, organs, or tissue.
- If
you are a health care or public safety worker,
get vaccinated against hepatitis B, and always
follow routine barrier precautions and safely
handle needles and other sharps. (View
current post-exposure prophylaxis
recommendations.)
|
|
VACCINE
RECOMMENDATIONS
|
- Hepatitis
B vaccine available since 1982
- Routine
vaccination of 0-18 year olds
- Vaccination
of risk groups of all ages (see section on
risk groups)
|
|
TREATMENT
& MEDICAL MANAGEMENT
National
Institutes of Health fact sheet on treatment
|
- HBV
infected persons should be evaluated by their
doctor for liver disease.
- Alpha
interferon and lamivudine are two drugs
licensed for the treatment of persons with
chronic hepatitis B. These drugs are
effective in up to 40% of patients.
- These
drugs should not be used by pregnant women.
- Drinking
alcohol can make your liver disease worse.
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|
TRENDS
& STATISTICS
|
- Number
of new infections per year has declined from
an average of 260,000 in the 1980s to about
78,000 in 2001.
- Highest
rate of disease occurs in 20-49-year-olds.
- Greatest
decline has happened among children and
adolescents due to routine hepatitis B
vaccination.
- Estimated
1.25 million chronically infected Americans,
of whom 20-30% acquired their infection in
childhood.
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