- Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
- The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
- Two billion people worldwide have been infected with the virus and about 600 000 people die every year due to the consequences of hepatitis B.
- The hepatitis B virus is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV.
- Hepatitis B is an important occupational hazard for health workers.
- Hepatitis B is preventable with the currently available safe and effective vaccine.
In some people, the hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.
There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis B. Care is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including replacement of fluids that are lost from vomiting and diarrhoea.
Some people with chronic hepatitis B can be treated with drugs, including interferon and antiviral agents. Treatment can cost thousands of dollars per year and is not available to most people in developing countries.
Liver cancer is almost always fatal and often develops in people at an age when they are most productive and have family responsibilities. In developing countries, most people with liver cancer die within months of diagnosis. In high-income countries, surgery and chemotherapy can prolong life for up to a few years.
People with cirrhosis are sometimes given liver transplants, with varying success.
5 Nursing Diagnosis for Hepatitis B
- Activity intolerance
- Anxiety
- Knowledge Deficit
- Risk for infection
- Risk for injury