Overview:
Hepatitis B is the virus that predominantly affects the liver. There are various routes of hepatitis B infection. The important causes of infection are contaminated needle prick, blood transfusions from an infected individual, unprotected sex, and maternal to child transmission.
Infection of hepatitis B may be cleared from the body and may go to chronic infection. In the majority of the patients, it gets cleared within 6 months of infection. For a few patients when it is not cleared from the circulation in the first 6 months, it usually clears by the end of a year. It rarely gets cleared after a year of infection.
What Is Acute Hepatitis B Infection?
Acute infection (infection less than 6 months), may or may not cause any harm to the liver. The grade of effect on the liver is varied, most of the time it does not cause significant harm. In a small number of cases, it causes acute hepatitis-like symptoms, and rarely it causes acute liver failure. The treatment of acute hepatitis is required in the case of acute liver failure or acute liver injury.
What Is Chronic Hepatitis B Infection?
If hepatitis B persists in the blood even after 6 months of infection, it is called as a chronic infection. Chronic hepatitis B may cause chronic liver damage and liver cirrhosis. Hepatitis B may cause liver cancer in a small proportion of the infected patient. Patients of chronic hepatitis B require treatment, which depends on multiple biomarkers, patient's clinical condition, and family history of hepatocellular malignancy.
How Is Hepatitis Diagnosed?
Diagnosis of hepatitis B is made by detection of HBsAg, HBV DNA, HBeAg, anti-HBe, etc. Grading of the severity of liver disease is done by non-invasive (fibroscan, ultrasound) and invasive (liver biopsy) methods.
