Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hepatitis B
Each year in the United States, an estimated 200,000 people are infected with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). More than 11,000 of these cases are hospitalized and 20,000 remain chronically infected. Overall, an estimated 1.25 million people in the US have chronic HBV infection. Between 4,000 to 5,000 people die each year from hepatitis B-related chronic liver disease or liver cancer (Center for Disease Control, n.d.)
The National Library of Medicine defines hepatitis as "Inflammation of the liver and liver disease involving degenerative or necrotic (death of cells or tissue due to disease, injury, exposure) alterations of hepatocytes, the main structural component of the liver." Hepatitis B ...
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B can be transmitted by many body fluids including saliva, urine, semen, and menstrual blood. Ingesting contaminated blood may also cause infection. Thus, hepatitis B can be transmitted in a number of ways. It can be transmitted from mother to infant at the time of birth, sexually, horizontally through shared utensils such as razors and toothbrushes, through non-sterile instruments such as tattoo needles and dental equipment, by drug use through shared needles and syringes, by hospital staff through needle pricks, and by blood sucking arthropods (usually in the tropics) (Center for Disease Control, n.d.).
Commonly called "serum hepatitis," HBV causes acute (short term) and chronic (long term) hepatitis. The chance of becoming chronically infected depends on the age of the infected individual. About 90% of newborns infected and 50% of infected young children will become chronically infected. In contrast, only about 5% to 10% of adults infected with HBV develop chronic ...
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liver to perform its biochemical functions, such as waste removal, and the breakdown of important proteins. Individuals with chronic hepatitis B, both those with cirrhosis and even chronic carriers, are at an increased risk of developing primary liver cancer (Worman, 1999). To better understand the effects of hepatitis B on the liver, a discussion of the proper liver functions is needed.
The liver is the passage way for substances moving from the stomach to the intestines, and later to the blood stream. The liver breaks down food into chemical parts for use in other parts of the body. The liver also changes and breaks down medication, so the body may better use its components. The liver ...
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"Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hepatitis B." Essayworld.com. July 17, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Transmission-Diagnosis-and-Treatment-Hepatitis-B/104790.
"Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hepatitis B." Essayworld.com. July 17, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Transmission-Diagnosis-and-Treatment-Hepatitis-B/104790.
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