About Hepatitis

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T00:28:53Z

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy all the trappings of the holiday: food, family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving! originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 00:28:53.

Interpreting the HBV Serologic Panel

2009-11-16T23:35:13Z

Testing for hepatitis B usually requires interpreting the hepatitis B serologic panel. Sounds easy enough, right? But here's the catch: this panel includes a number of markers and will have multiple interpretations of the various results. Here is a helpful table for interpreting the hepatitis B serologic panel.

While we're at it, perhaps brushing up on what all those letters mean for each hepatitis B test will help. Follow the links for information about HBsAg, anti-HBc (also called HBcAb), anti-HBs (also called HBsAb), and anti-HBc.

Interpreting the HBV Serologic Panel originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 23:35:13.

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Do You Need Milk Thistle?

2009-11-08T23:39:31Z

Milk thistle is a popular remedy for liver disease. For some it's just a weed, but for many others, it's a well-known medicinal plant that helps lessen the damage of chronic hepatitis. This stout, spiny plant has an excellent reputation among alternative medicine supporters--but does milk thistle earn its two-thousand year reputation in light of 21st-century medical science?

The medical literature is unclear. Milk thistle appears to be very safe for most people, but its benefits haven't been conclusively demonstrated for hepatitis patients. Some studies conclude that milk thistle provides some kind of protection to the liver, but many other studies don't show this. Unfortunately, to complicate matters, many of these studies have design flaws. So, it's difficult to develop strong conclusions (either for or against) from the existing research. Truly, more quality research is needed.

Until this type of research is available, what's a good strategy? Certainly, talk with your doctor if you're thinking about taking milk thistle. Though this may seem like a harmless natural therapy, milk thistle is still a drug that can affect your liver. If you have liver disease, you need to be very careful about the medicines you take, including natural and over-the-counter. And, if you're currently treating chronic hepatitis, you want to be sure milk thistle doesn't interact poorly with your prescribed therapy.

More information about milk thistle is available. Since an informed patient needs to consider the benefits and criticisms of alternative treatments, here is general information about taking alternative medicine. And if you have liver damage, some herbal medicines just need to be avoided completed. Here's a list of seven dangerous herbs for your liver.

Do You Need Milk Thistle? originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 23:39:31.

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Have Hepatitis? Maybe You Need Starbucks!

2009-10-31T23:08:40Z

Can drinking coffee help slow the effects of chronic hepatitis C? According to a new study, people with hepatitis C who drank three or more cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of liver disease progression (53% lower risk) than non-coffee drinkers.

The research, published in the journal Hepatology, followed 766 patients who all had chronic hepatitis C with detectable HCV RNA, advanced hepatic fibrosis (liver scarring), and interestingly, previously treated with peginterferon and ribavirin but didn't reach SVR (What Is SVR?). Compared to the non-coffee drinking patients, people who drank more coffee had less progression of liver disease. Those who drank one to three cups of coffee per day were 30 percent less likely to progress, but those who drank three or more cups each day had a 53 percent lower risk.

So what do we make of this research? Should we all start drinking coffee in hopes of a healthy liver? At this point, this is just interesting information. There are over one thousand chemical compounds in coffee and no one knows which are responsible for any potential benefit. Since this is the first study to compare the effects of coffee on people with hepatitis C, more studies are needed. However, according to the study's researchers, the idea of drinking a cup of coffee (or three, actually!) to help the liver isn't as strange as it may seem. Drinking coffee could affect liver disease by affecting insulin and glucose levels in the blood. Furthermore, coffee may actually reduce inflammation that can lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Have Hepatitis? Maybe You Need Starbucks! originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 23:08:40.

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Time for Fun and Games

2009-10-23T22:11:15Z

Having hepatitis B is no 'fun and games' but what about a hepatitis B crossword puzzle? That can be an interesting diversion, especially if you're a devoted puzzler.

Of course, avid puzzlers usually enjoy the kind published in the Sunday New York Times, but here are some hepatitis B-themed examples you may also enjoy. To complete Hepatitis B and Me, you'll need to use your basic knowledge of hepatitis B. Likewise, here's another crossword puzzle that you'll need to use what you already know to finish. It also includes a word search where you need to find 33 hepatitis-related words hidden in a jumble of letters.

Before you start these, you can refresh your understanding of hepatitis B by reviewing this short introduction to HBV Infection.

Time for Fun and Games originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 22:11:15.

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Spreading Hepatitis Through Sex

2009-10-15T23:46:23Z

What do you know about viral hepatitis and sex? In the alphabet soup of hepatitis viruses, it can be difficult to remember which ones spread through sexual contact and which do not. Since it's important for people to understand their risk, here's a simple outline of hepatitis virus sexual transmission.

Knowing which viruses are more likely to spread during sexual contact is just one step in protecting yourself. The second step is to understand the best way in preventing spread. Vaccination is a good prevention strategy for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Here's more information about the hepatitis A vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine. However, preventing hepatitis C requires a different approach because no vaccine is currently available.

Spreading Hepatitis Through Sex originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 23:46:23.

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20 Years for 35 Infections

2009-10-07T22:21:00Z

Kristen Parker, the Colorado-based healthcare worker who possibly infected 35 patients with hepatitis C, was sentenced to 20 years in prison based on a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. The formal sentencing is scheduled for December 10.

Ms. Parker, a 26-year-old former surgery technician, stole syringes filled with the pain medication fentanyl. After injecting herself with the drug, she refilled the syringes with a saline solution and allowed them to be used by patients, even though she apparently knew she had hepatitis C. Sixteen people have been linked to Ms. Parker by DNA testing. However, Colorado state health officials suspect 27 people will ultimately be linked, while federal prosecutors believe 35 people will be linked.

Originally Ms. Parker plead not guilty to a 42-count indictment. However, based on last month's plea, she admitted guilt to five counts of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit.

For more information on these exposures, please check previous coverage on July 5, July 13 and July 21.

20 Years for 35 Infections originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 22:21:00.

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Knowing The Lesser Known

2009-09-29T23:58:21Z

Of the five hepatitis viruses, the first three get all the press and attention. This is with good reason, because of these five, hepatitis A, B and C cause the most disease here in the United States and many other developed countries. However, is it worth knowing more about the viruses that cause hepatitis D and E?

These two viruses, though lesser known, are very interesting and in some locations, cause significant disease. For example, hepatitis D isn't even a complete virus capable of causing an infection. To cause disease, it must infect people who already have hepatitis B. Currently, it seems that hepatitis D is endemic in Mediterranean countries and the Far East.

Hepatitis E is like hepatitis A in many ways, but is really dangerous for pregnant women. It can cause fulminant hepatic failure in up to 25% of pregnant women. There's no vaccine yet, and it's the second most common cause of sporadic hepatitis in the Middle East and North Africa. Currently, hepatitis E is a huge public health problem in Uganda.

Neither of these viruses are common yet in the United States, but they are here. As travel becomes more common into and out of areas endemic with hepatitis D and E, the epidemiology (locations and populations) of these infections may shift. Whether this happens sooner or later, it's in the public's interest for these viruses to become better known.

Knowing The Lesser Known originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 23:58:21.

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New Study Suggests Truck Drivers Get Hepatitis C Testing

2009-09-22T23:58:16Z

Long-distance truck drivers would probably benefit from hepatitis testing and education, suggests a new study of 652 truck drivers in New Mexico from December 2004 through March 2006. Additionally, the study recommended screening and risk-reduction interventions for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The researchers note that truckers in other countries, mostly developing and generally unstable, have been linked to the spread of certain diseases (especially sexually transmitted infections). However, not much is known about how long-distance truckers in the United States might be involved with spreading HIV or other STIs. To better understand this population, researchers conducted studies at a large trucking terminal near Albuquerque, New Mexico, and ten truck stops along various New Mexico Interstate highways.

Results of the study showed that 8.5 percent tested positive for hepatitis C and 10.4 percent tested positive for anti-HBc (hepatitis B core antibodies). For more information about the study, check out the American Journal of Public Health.

New Study Suggests Truck Drivers Get Hepatitis C Testing originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 23:58:16.

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Gene Variant May Improve Hepatitis C Treatment

2009-09-15T23:55:15Z

Scientists have identified a gene that is associated with suppression of the hepatitis C virus (among others). The gene, called IL28B, codes for a type of interferon that can positively impact standard hepatitis treatment. Some people have naturally inherited this gene variant and can benefit from it.

This work is interesting because it may offer better insight into how medicine can treat hepatitis C. Current treatment only works in about half of the patients (depending on the viral genotype) and has significant side effects. Any advancement that improves these results could potentially benefit millions of people worldwide.

This work, led by Australian geneticist Dr. David Booth of the Westmead Millennium Institute and Professor Jacob George of the University of Sydney, is published in Nature Genetics. More information is available in the official media release.

Gene Variant May Improve Hepatitis C Treatment originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 23:55:15.

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