Is there any treatment for Hepatitis B?
Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Wisconsin, USA
Q: I am 33 year old male admitted for jaundice due to hepatitis B 3 months ago. I don't know how I got infected with hepatitis B. But I had a safe sex three years ago. But the doctor asked to check for my mother and father for the hepatitis B, because they may be carriers. My mother got hepatitis B positive. Even my mothers sister also got Hepatitis B. How can it happen? Taken treatment for 10 days in hospital. After three month of suffering jaundice has come to normal level. After the bilirubin has come down I have stopped taking the herbal tablets. For the past one month I don't have strength in both my hands especially, left more weak than right hand. This weakness does not continue; it comes once in three days or four days. Within few minutes time I don't have strength to lift a small piece of paper - it continues for 1 to 3 hours. During treatment also I had unbearable hunger and now also it continues. So every 2 hours I take some thing to eat except at night. Morning around 11.00 to 11.30 I get very hungry. Today i got the tiredness around 10 clock and came back to normal within 1 hour. But today I didn't have the motion and yesterday my body was so heat (not fever) only on the outer skin, especially on my back. My stomach has become little bigger. Few days before I consulted the doctor and he told me to take good food and because of not having proper nutrition you are very weak. I started eating food, except fats and spices. Still I have the problem of terrible hunger and hand weakness. When I get down from staircase also I feel my legs are weak. When I was admitted in hospital, my weight was 60 and now it is 69 kg. My normal weight is 74 kgs and I am 5 feet 11 inches height. Waiting for your reply.
A:Hepatitis B has no treatment in acute phase. All that is required is to treat the symptoms. After few weeks your antibodies for HepBeAg, HepBeAb, DNA needs to be checked along with HepBsAb to make sure you are not a carrier. If you are you need to be treated.Recommended get your blood glucose and serum cryoglobulins checked to make sure that your symptoms are not due to them. Otherwise sometimes the recovery with Hepatitis is prolonged. Avoid alcohol, and unnecessary medicines. Regular diet and good rest is the key.