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
|
CAUSE |
|
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
|
TRANSMISSION |
Persons
at risk for HBV infection might also be at risk for infection with
hepatitis C virus (HCV) or HIV. |
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 drugs, 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 |
- HBV infected
persons should be evaluated by their doctor for liver disease.
-
Adefovir
dipivoxil, alpha
interferon, and lamivudine
are three drugs licensed for the treatment of persons with chronic
hepatitis B.
- These
drugs should not be used by pregnant women.
- Drinking
alcohol can make your liver disease worse.
|
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.
|