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Prevalence Study Of Hepatitis B
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The Hepatitis B
virus is normally transmitted through blood transfusion, contaminated
equipment, drug users unsterile needles, or any body secretion (saliva,
soren, sweat, breast milk, urine) The virus also can pass from the
blood of an infected mother through the placenta to infect the fetus.
Each year an estimated 200, 000 people in Nigeria are infected with
Australian Antigen (HBV) about 1000 person die yearly from hepatitis
related cirrhosis and about 5000 die from HBV related liver cancer. (HBV
is second only to tobacco as a known cause of rumen cancer). Worldwide,
HBV infects over 200 million people (Schlesinger & Schlesinger,
2001). The clinccal signs of Repatitis B vary widely, most cases are
symptomless. However, sometime fever, loss of appetite, abominal
discomfort, nausea, fatigue, and other symptoms gradually appear
following an incubation period of 1 to 3 months. The virus infects liver
Hepatic cells and causes liver tissue degeneration and the release of
liver associated enzymes (transaminases) into the blood team. This is
followed by jaundice, the accumulation of bilirubin (a breakdown product
of raemoglobin in the skin and other tissue with a resulting yellow
appears. The distinctive yellow jaundice the Hepatitis B usually imparts
to its victims skin has made it an rasity detectable disease through
recorded history. Frequently, acute hepatitis B in anicteric and
symptomatic, although acute liver failure may develop. The virus
persists in about 10 percent of infected immouno compent adults, and in
as many 90 percent of infants infect peninatally depending on the ethnic
group of the mother. About 350 million people worldwide are persistent
carries of hepatitis B. actually one in twenty infection results in
chronic hepatitis, defined as persistent hepatitis virus six mouths
after the onset of the acute illness. Chronic HBV infection can be
entirely begin with normal liver blood tests (“Chronic Carrier Stateâ€)
or may be an aggressive inflammatory process (“Chronic active
hepatitisâ€), which can lead to severe scarring (“Cirrhosis).
Approximately
25 percent of all patients with chronic hepatitis will progress to
cirrhosis and about 20 percent of those with cirrhosis will develop
hepatocellular carcinoma. That is to say, the risk of liver cancer
(hepatoma) is high in cirrhosis caused by HBV.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers worldwide (Seeger & manor; 2000)
During
the first phase of chronicity, virus replication continues in the liver
and replicative intermediates of the viral genome may be detected in
DNA extracted from liver hiopsies. Makers of virus replication in serum
include HBVDNA (this indicated virus presence and activity), DNA
polymerize (determines the presence of HBVDNA in liver cell, and a
soluble antigen, hepatition.be antigen (\HbeAG), which is secreted by
productively infected hepatocytes. In those infected at a very going age
this phase may persist for life but, more usually, virus levels decline
over time. Eventually, in most individuals, there is immune clearance
of infected hepatocytes associated with seroconverision low replication,
the viral senome may integrate into the chromosomal DNA of some
hepatocytes and these cells may persist and expand closely. Rarely ,
seroconversion to anti-HBs follows clearance of virus replication but,
more frequently, HBSAg persists during a second phase of chronicity as a
result of the expression of integrated viral DNA.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The prevalence of viral hepatitis B among patients in National Orthopedic Hospital Enugu was studied. The samples comprised that of men , woman and children 200 in numbers, all patient of orthopedic Hospital Enugu. Laboratory investigation done were this HBs tested which 110 patient out of the 200 patients tested positive, and liver function tests found abnormal in almost all the patients that tested positive to HBsAG routine test. The commonest clinical presentations were fever and jaundice ... Continue reading---
