HBsAg & Hepatitis B virus (HBV) Posted: 02-05-08 07:59am
Hi,
i been informed by the doctor that i had
HBsAG according to the blood results. I
did not know anything about this. My
parents said that it must have happened
when i was a child.
The amount of virus in my blood was not
much therefore the doctor also confirmed
that i could have had it in my childhood.
I am 30 years old now and my partner has
had the blood test and nothing came up in
his blood. (He said in about 3 weeks time,
another test result will show whether it
is definitely negative or not). He has
had the 1. injection so far.
-- I am not sure how infectious the HBsAG
is. Is it safer not to kiss each other for
6 months until he gets all 3 vaccines ? :(
-- My liver values were sth like SGPT 70-1
(?) Anti - HCV ...dont know what this
means.
I would so much appreciate if you could
give me a bit more help on understanding
what i need to do, or should avoid, or
what the difference is between HBsAG and
HBeAG..
The presence of HBsAg in the blood
indicates that you are infected with the
Hepatitis B virus (HBV). Blood levels of
the virus (or more precisely of the viral
DNA), enzyme DNA-polymerase and HBeAg
serve to estimate the amount of viral
replication. When body gets infected with
HBV there are 3 possibilities:
1. THe HBV-infection can cause acute
hepatitis but the body’s immune system
struggles against the infection and can
completely clean the virus from the body.
At the beginning of the infection, all
serological signs of acute viral infection
are positive: HBV-DNA, DNA-polymerase,
HBsAg and HBeAg. Then, the immune system
starts to fight the virus, which can be
confirmed by detecting antibodies against
viral antigens (Anti-HBs, Anti-HBc-IgM and
Anti-HBe). HBV does not damage the liver
directly when the immune responds. Rather
the immune system itself can damage the
liver - this is evidenced with biochemical
signs of liver damage such as increased
transaminase-enzymes (SGPT and GOT) and
increased total bilirubin. After a few
months, all the signs of viral replication
and liver damage disappear and only the
signs of a former HBV-infection and
life-long immunity remain (Anti-HBc-IgG).
This happens in 90% of all cases of
Hepatitis B.
2. HBV, the Hepatitus B virus can infect
the liver without an immune system
response. When the immune system does not
fight the virus it is called tolerance.
In this case, there are signs of viral
presence (positive HBs-Ag, HBe-Ag, HBV-DNA
and DNA-polymerase) but there are no signs
of an immune response (no antibodies are
detected). The HBV virus does not damage
the liver, so there are no signs of liver
damage present. Tchnically, people who
experience this reaction to Hepatitis B
are termed HBV-carriers. Hep B carriers do
not experience the illness and liver
damage, but they can transmit the virus to
other people. This happens in 2% of
cases.
3. In the third possibility (8% of cases),
Hepatitis B can infect the liver. The
immune system response may fight the
virus, but not efficiently enough to wipe
it out completely. So, in this case, an
acute infection with Hep B is not overcome
but develops into a chronic infection , or
chronic hepatitis B. Chronic hepatitis is
a serious condition because usually ends
with cirrhosis of the liver or cancer. In
cases of chronic hepatitis, serological
signs of viral replication are present as
well as an immune response and liver
damage that last longer than 6 months.
Generally there are 2 types of chronic
hepatitis: chronic persistent and chronic
active. The active form of chronic Hep B
is characterized by a faster evolution and
worse prognosis than the persistent form.
An HBV-infection can’t be transmitted
via kissing. HBV, however, can be
transmitted via unprotected sex and direct
“blood to blood” contact.
Anti-HCV is an antibody against the
Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The presence of
Anti-HCV can indicate these 3
possibilities: acute infection, chronic
infection or immunity after an infection
has passed . Unlike HBV, however, HCV
causes chronic liver inflammation in 80%
of cases and only 20% result in complete
recovery and immunity for life.
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