Hepatitis B Neha Patel, Rebecca Webber, Lilimae Martin

Causes of Hepatitis B: The Hepatitis B infection is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen or other body fluids.

Statistics linked to the disease: Approximately 1.2 million people are infected with Hepatitis B every year. The number of Hepatitis B cases have drastically decreased by about 80% over the past 20 years. Roughly 40,000 people develop chronic Hepatitis B every year.

How is the disease spread? Sexual contact. You may become infected if you have unprotected sex with an infected partner whose blood, saliva, semen or vaginal secretions enter your body. Sharing of needles. HBV is easily transmitted through needles and syringes contaminated with infected blood. Mother to child. Pregnant women infected with HBV can pass the virus to their babies during childbirth.

Who is at risk of contracting this disease? The hepatitis B virus can infect infants, children, teens and adults. -> High risk of contracting the disease: Health care providers and emergency responders Illicit drug users (injecting, inhaling, snorting, pill popping) ALL pregnant women Recipients of a blood transfusion Kidney dialysis patients Those in early renal failure.

The symptoms: Many people infected with hepatitis B do not have any symptoms until a little later after they’ve contracted it. Abdominal pain Dark urine Fever Joint pain Loss of appetite Nausea and vomiting Weakness and fatigue Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes Flu-like symptoms generally Note: The symptoms for men and women are all the same

Consequences: Hepatitis B can be dangerous; it can lead to liver damage and an increased risk of liver cancer. People with a chronic case of hepatitis B infection have an increased risk of liver cancer. It can cause acute liver failure in which the vital functions of the liver shut down. When that occurs, a liver transplant is necessary to sustain life.

Current treatments: Most people are vaccinated, but if you happen to develop an acute case of Hepatitis B, then the doctor will recommended getting good nutrition and drinking lots of fluids (it will almost always go away on its own). If the case is severe, then you may have treatment to reduce the risk of liver disease and prevent you from passing the infection to others. The treatments vary from a liver transplant to anti-viral medications.

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Relationships to other STD’s: Hepatitis B and HIV are spread in the same ways, but hepatitis B is more infectious. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV can also be transmitted from mother to child during child birth just like hepatitis B.

Works Cited conditions/hepatitis- b/basics/complications/con conditions/hepatitis- b/basics/complications/con /std_hepatitis.html# /std_hepatitis.html# conditions/hepatitis-b/basics/treatment/con conditions/hepatitis-b/basics/treatment/con