Hepatitis B Research
Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver that results from a virus that is transmitted from blood transfusions, blood products, drug addicts using the same needles, and by sexual couples. Hepatitis B can be transmitted by people who have no symptoms of hepatitis but are carriers of the condition. Acute viral hepatitis is a disease of the liver with any of the different hepatitis viruses in which inflammation begins quickly and for most people ends in a few weeks.
Symptoms include a sick feeling, nausea and in Hepatitis B some joint pains and an itching rash. In a few days the urine becomes dark and jaundice may appear. Even though the jaundice continues or gets worse, the person feels better since most other
symptoms disappear. A person should be under a doctor's care for an accurate diagnosis which can be made from the symptoms and, if necessary, from blood tests.
People with severe acute Hepatitis B may require hospitalization, but with most people no treatment is necessary because the appetite returns, the person does not have to stay in bed, and when the jaundice clears up, the person can return to work or normal activities.
Prevention of the disease requires strict hygiene, no needle exchanges, and protection during sex. More careful examination of blood donors and blood has eliminated most of the danger of infection from blood products. Vaccination for Hepatitis B has also been effective for people exposed to the virus.
