Hepatitis B:

I. Cause :
- Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
- The disease greatly affects the functioning of the liver, can cause liver infections, even life-
threatening.
- Currently, the hepatitis B virus remains a major threat to global health. According to statistics of
the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2 billion people have been infected, with 1.5
million new infections every year.
- In Vietnam, the number of people infected with hepatitis B virus accounts for about 20% of the
population.
- Hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
II. Symptom:

Hepatitis B has unclear symptoms, so it is difficult for patients to recognize. There are even many people
infected with hepatitis B without even knowing it. Therefore, when learning what hepatitis B is, it is
important to note the following symptoms to recognize the disease:

 Tired body, not eating well.

 Joint pain.
 Frequent nausea and vomiting.
 Urine is dark yellow.
 Stomachache.
 Dark greenish-gray stools.
 Frequent digestive disorders.
 Yellow skin, yellow eyes.
 There is bleeding under the skin.
 Right lower quadrant pain.
 Abdominal swelling, abdominal distension.

III. Foute of infection (đường lây nhiễm):

Hepatitis B virus has the same infection mechanism as HIV virus.

Like the HIV virus, the hepatitis B virus is transmitted mainly through blood, sexual contact and from
mother to child.

However, the hepatitis B virus is 100 times more infectious than HIV. Here are 3 routes of hepatitis B
infection to note:

Mother-to-child transmission:
 - Pregnant women who have hepatitis B can pass the infection on to their babies. The rate of
transmission will vary depending on the specific stage of pregnancy. Specifically:
 If the mother is infected in the first 3 months of pregnancy, the transmission rate is about 1%.
 If infected in the second trimester of pregnancy, the rate of infection in the fetus is about 10%.
 If a pregnant woman is infected with hepatitis B virus in the last 3 months of pregnancy, the risk
of infection will increase to 70%.
 In particular, if there is no postpartum protection, the risk of infection to the baby is up to 90%.

Bloodborne:

- Hepatitis B virus can be easily transmitted through blood transfusion, blood donation, injection,
tattoo...if instruments are not properly disinfected. In addition, sharing razors, toothbrushes,
etc. with someone with hepatitis B can also make you easily infected.

Sexually transmitted:

- Having unprotected sex with someone who has hepatitis B also puts you at high risk of getting
infected. The hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through all types of heterosexual or same-sex
sexual behavior.
IV. Side effects and complications:

Specific harms of Hepatitis B, including:

 Causes impaired liver function: The activity of liver cells is destroyed from within the cells,
gradually liver cells will be destroyed, leading to liver damage. At this time, the functions of the
liver such as filtering blood, eliminating toxins, metabolizing chemicals, synthesizing
substances... are all impaired.
 Causes fatty liver: The activity of breaking down Triglycerides in the liver is reduced, causing fat
to not be metabolized but accumulate to cause fatty liver.
 Complications Cirrhosis: If left untreated or ineffectively treated, hepatitis B will lead to cirrhosis
of the liver within 20 years or possibly earlier.
 Complications Liver cancer: Hepatitis B virus increases the risk of malignant hepatocellular
proliferation during the course of Hepatitis to Cirrhosis. Cancer complications usually occur
within 10 years of cirrhosis.
V. Treatment:

Use medicine:

- Ozone-carrying blood transfusion method:

- Method to filter the virus out of the blood:
- New methods: Techniques such as targeted therapy, ozone reverse infusion, virus dissociation
are all effective in the treatment of Hepatitis B. New methods with the advantages of limited
side effects, short treatment time and lower costs.
All of the above methods are quite common, but the cost of treatment is very high, so the number of
people infected is still very high.

VI. Prevention:

Currently, vaccination against hepatitis B is considered the most effective method of preventing the
disease. If the disease has progressed to the chronic stage, drugs can only be used to control the
hepatitis B virus status in the body.

In addition, you can also refer to some of the following ways to prevent hepatitis B:

 Have faithful, safe sex, use condoms to avoid hepatitis B virus infection.
 You should go for regular health check-ups to make sure you don't get infected.
 Before trying to conceive, both husband and wife need to be tested to determine if they are
infected.
 Pregnant women also need regular checkups throughout their pregnancy to ensure a healthy
pregnancy.
 Cover open wounds to prevent hepatitis B virus infection.
 Never share needles with anyone.
 Always use new and sterile syringes.
 Do not come into direct contact with blood, open wounds, or other people's fluids without using
protective gear.
 No tattoos, dental work, acupuncture, eye tattoos, lip tattoos... at unsecured and unsafe
establishments.
 Do not share personal items with others such as toothbrushes, nail clippers, razors...
 Parents need to teach their children how to prevent hepatitis B to avoid infection.