Hepatitis B Health Video

Video Transcript

SKYLAR ULRICH, MD: Hi. I'm Dr. Skylar Ulrich. I'm going to talk about hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a viral infection transmitted through body fluids. Any activity that transfers blood or body fluids underneath the skin can transmit hepatitis B. This includes tattooing, acupuncture, ear piercing, sexual contact, use of toothbrushes, or perinatally. Most commonly, it is transmitted by IV drug abuse, sexual contact, or in developing countries by perinatal transmission. Symptoms vary widely from person to person. After a prodromal period, there is the development of nausea and vomiting, jaundice, abdominal pain, anorexia, and general malaise. The incubation period is generally one to four months and the duration of the illness is generally one to two months. Approximately, 0.1% of people with hepatitis B infection will progress to chronic infection and/or cirrhosis of the liver. The disease is self-limiting most of the time. Treatment is generally supportive. Symptoms should resolve after one to three months. Diagnosis is made by clinical history as well as hepatitis B IgM core antibody titers as well as hepatitis B surface antigen titers. Prevention: The most important thing for prevention of hepatitis B is vaccination. This is a vaccine-preventable disease. Also, for any healthcare workers or people who may come in contact with body fluids, using universal precautions is very important, which means always using gloves and a face mask and protective eyewear when coming in contact with body fluids. Screening of blood supply has also been a very effective way of reducing the transmission of hepatitis B.