Hepatitis B can be spread through the sharing of contaminated needles. The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) explains its symptoms and prevention methods.
Hepatitis B (HBV), a serious liver infection, is often only diagnosed in the later stages, when patients start seeking medical help for advanced liver problems.
About 3.6 per cent of the population aged 18-79 in Singapore, or about 150,000 people, are hepatitis B carriers, but many are unaware of their condition.
Hepatitis B (HBV) infection often goes undiagnosed until patients seek medical help for advanced liver problems.
Hepatitis B is a serious infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B or hep B virus (HBV).
If your immune system is unable to clear a hepatitis B infection within six months, it can lead to chronic hepatitis B (permanent liver inflammation). Over time, serious complications can include
liver cirrhosis (permanent liver scarring and shrinking), liver failure and
liver cancer.
Hepatitis B is the cause for 60 to 70 per cent of liver cancers.
In fact, hepatitis B carriers are 100 times more likely to develop liver cancer than non-carriers.
Liver cancer was the fourth most common cancer in men in Singapore from 2008 to 2012, according to the Singapore's National Registry of Diseases Office. Unfortunately, a large number of cases are diagnosed at a late stage, when the patient has only a few months left to live.
“Early detection is critical to prevent progression to irreversible liver damage or liver cancer,” says
Clinical Assistant Professor Rajneesh Kumar, Senior Consultant,
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,
Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the
SingHealth group.
How is hepatitis B virus transmitted?
You cannot catch the hep B virus through hugs or casual contact with an infected person. Neither can the virus spread through coughing, sneezing or sharing eating utensils. However, hepatitis B infection can spread through:
Unprotected sex with an infected person (direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, semen or vaginal secretions)
Sharing of contaminated needles and syringes or improperly sterilised sharp implements
Childbirth, from an infected mother to her child
Symptoms of hepatitis B infection
Common symptoms of adult-acquired hepatitis B infection include:
Yellowing of skin and whites of eyes
Fatigue and fever (with aches and chills)
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Abdominal pain
Dark-coloured urine
Clay-coloured bowel movements
It’s important to know that you may be a carrier and not show symptoms. You can still pass on the virus to others.
Hepatitis B is usually asymptomatic in infected infants and children. But an infected child has a 90 per cent chance of becoming a hep B carrier as an adult.
Hepatitis B treatment
Adults who acquire acute hepatitis B will usually be able to clear the short-term infection within six months without any treatment.
If the viral infection persists beyond six months, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medications to help you fight the infection before it progresses to liver cirrhosis. Disease progression will be monitored through regular blood tests.
Liver transplant is the only option in advanced liver cirrhosis when the liver is so severely damaged that it stops functioning and liver failure results.
How to prevent a hepatitis B infection
Singaporeans born before 1985 would not have been inoculated with the hepatitis B vaccine under the National Childhood Immunisation Programme. If you are born before 1985, ask your GP for a hep B screening (simple blood test). Vaccination is recommended if you are hep B-negative, which means you are not protected against the virus.
Ref: N18
Check out other articles on hepatitis:
The ABCs of Hepatitis
Hepatitis A: Causes, Symptoms and Prevention Tips
Know Your Vaccines: Hepatitis B, MMR, Varicella, Pneumococcal and Flu
Hepatitis and Children
