If you had Hepatitis-B 4 years ago and you
are now HBs-Ag positive that means that
you couldn’t overcome the acute
hepatitis-B infection. There are three
possible ways a B-hepatitis virus (HBV)
can manifest:
1. 90% of people infected with Hepatitis-B
successfully overcome the infection and
become immune to infection for life. The
immune system cleans the virus completely.
2. 2% of people infected with a
B-hepatitis virus (HBV) become carriers of
the infection. These people can la ive
normal life because the virus does not
damage the liver and the immune system
doesn’t fight the virus. But carriers
can transmit the infection to other people
by unprotected sexual contact, from mother
to fetus, using the same needle for intra
venous injecting drug etc.
3. 8% of people infected with Hep-B
develop chronic Hepatitis-B. These people
experience slower or faster (progressive)
liver damage that finally ends with
cirrhosis or liver cancer. The virus does
not damage the liver directly but the
infected liver cells are destroyed by the
immune system that fights the virus. The
immune system can’t clean the virus
completely and continues to destroy more
and more infected liver cells.
In your case, it must first be determined
if you are a carrier or if you have
chronic Hepatitis-B. Carriers don’t
need therapy. People diagnosed with
chronic Hepatitis-B are treated with
ribavarin and alpha-interpherone. Tou can
consult an infectologist about this
condition, ask for the necessary
diagnostic tests, and get further advice.
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