Hepatitis B – disease, transmission, symptoms, and diagnosis
Hepatitis B (HBV) is a widespread virus that infects human liver cells and cause inflammation – therefore, the disease is also called ‘contagious liver disease’. Most commonly adults get infected after which they will experience a brief bout of sickness before they get better. This is the acute form of hepatitis B. However, the infection can cause chronic hepatitis B, where the liver is damaged over an extended period. The latter is often seen in children infected with the virus. The virus is transmitted through contact with blood, and other bodily fluids, between a healthy and an infected individual, i.e. through intercourse, contaminated needles, tattoos, shared razors, and toothbrushes. Furthermore, is it possible for a woman giving birth, to infect their child during labour. However, you cannot be infected by kissing, hugging, sneezing, coughing, or sharing food.
If you are infected with HBV, you would not necessarily notice the infection. The majority of infected people will not manifest symptoms. However, if a patient becomes symptomatic they will often experience flu-like symptoms such as tiredness, mild fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or stomach aches. Additionally, HBV can cause urine to turn dark and skin to be tinted yellow; both of which are characteristics of liver disease. Hepatitis B is easily diagnosed with a blood sample.
Treatment of HBV
The problem is that a chronic infection cannot be cured. After the virus has established itself in the liver, it is only possible to treat the symptoms. Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer and new insights into treatment options are therefore highly desirable.
New insight into HBV’s lifecycle can improve HBV treatment
A group of scientists from the universities in York and Leeds, have identified a specific genetic code in HBV’s genetic makeup, that enables it to protect the virus inside the cell while it reproduces into thousands of new virus particles. This genetic code forms a strand of RNA, a signal molecule, necessary for the virus’s ability to synthesise proteins, create and reproduce it genetic makeup; thereby creating additional virus particles. This process allows the virus to become infectious and eventually spread of others. The scientists believe that knowing how the virus reproduce, will allow them to disrupt the essential RNA-molecules; halting the process and killing the virus. In fact, the scientists are already cooperating with the National Institute of Health in the USA to identify potential chemical compounds, capable of disrupting the virus’s reproductive cycle; thereby treating patients infected with HBV. Such a treatment would have a major impact worldwide, where more than 350 million people suffer from chronic HBV and, as a result, are at a higher risk of developing liver inflammations and liver cancer.
References:
1) http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/hepb-guide/hepatitis-b-topic-overview#1
