Hepatitis B test results

harka

HI MMX! Welcome to the healthboards. So, whoa, your question is a loaded one, and I'll do my best to answer.

So first off in short, based on your bloodwork you have ACTIVE hepatitis B infection. YES you are infective. You should not give blood, and if you have sex with someone, you need to make sure s/he is immunized against hepatitis B. Most likely, given your bloodwork, you have CHRONIC active hepatitis rather than an acute infection which may clear later.

Judging by your bloodwork I would guess that you are over 30 years of age. Am I correct? At the very least 25. Hepatitis B is a strange infection because if you are exposed to it when you are around 15 or older, 90% of people will clear the virus; however, if you are infected in childhood (usually occurring from vertical transmission from mother to child) the percentages basically reverse--10% of people clear it and 90% of people become chronically infected. I suspect you may have had Hepatitis B since you were a child and something prompted your doctor to check for it (perhaps abnormal bloodwork on an insurance exam, or for employment purposes?)

What's important for you is that you are followed closely by either a hepatologist or an infectious diseases specialist who is trained in the treatment of Hepatitis B.

The issue with Hepatitis B is not necessarily the virus itself but it is your immune system's attack on the virus. Usually for people who are infected since birth, the virus replicates freely in the blood and the immune system doesn't do anything about it. By around 20 years of age, all of a sudden the immune system recognizes there's something wrong and starts attacking the virus. Unfortunately, the liver where most of the virus is gets damaged from repeated episodes of inflammation and this can lead to cirrhosis. From this point, a number of things can happen:

#1. You immune system can suppress and clear the virus permanently.
#2. Your immune system can go in to hibernation and the viral load in the blood stays high.
#3. Your immune system can keep the viral level low by periodically attacking the virus, but also causing intermittent liver inflammation.
#4. Your immune system doesn't attack the virus, but the viral load ends up staying present in the blood but not extremely high.

Your viral load is kinda in the middle. It's not ludicrously high, but it's definitely not low.

If possible, could you answer a couple of questions?

1. I'm assuming you're male, am I correct?
2. Were you born in E or SE Asia or in the Mediterranean. If no, where were you born?
3. Anyone in your family have Hepatitis B or any liver disease?
4. Why did your doctor do testing for hepatitis B?
5. Have you ever had an attack where you became jaundiced?
6. Do you have any other health problems?
7. Do you have any of your other bloodwork. For example, your liver enzyme levels?
8. Has your doctor ever told you your liver enzyme levels were abnormally high?

Sorry, I know that is a lot of information, so why don't I stop there and I'll try to answer any further questions you have.

mmx1233

Hi cgranulomatis,

Nice to meet you. WOW you are very good and know your stuff.

Yes I am 30 year of age.

I will try to answer your questions:

1. I'm assuming you're male, am I correct?
Yes I am male

2. Were you born in E or SE Asia or in the Mediterranean. If no, where were you born?
I was born in England but I am Chinese. (Parents was born in Hong Kong).

3. Anyone in your family have Hepatitis B or any liver disease?
I don't know, but I do not think so.

4. Why did your doctor do testing for hepatitis B?
They thought I had a stomach ulcer, but it turned out to be Gallstone. But from the orginal blood test taken the doctors saw something with

results. So they sent me to a Hepatitis B blood test.

5. Have you ever had an attack where you became jaundiced?
I am not sure what you mean by attack? is there such a thing as a Hepatitis attack? No I have never became jaundiced.

6. Do you have any other health problems?
Just have Gallstone. Other than that I feel great and very fit. I play a alot of sport.

7. Do you have any of your other bloodwork. For example, your liver enzyme levels?
No I don't.

8. Has your doctor ever told you your liver enzyme levels were abnormally high?
No never. I have only ever had 4 blood tests and they all have been in the last 3 months.

I saw the hepatologist specialist 3 weeks ago and he says I am healthy and but I need to see him every 6 months now.

I am normally a very postive person, but this have shocked me.
If I had Hepatitis B since I was born it means my Parents, brother and sister has it too. ;0( How can I tell them?
I am also scared, what if I get ill? What do I do?

Has anyone been ever cured from hepatitis B?
Can I reduce the viral load?

I thank you for all your help. You have already given me more information than my doctors has.

I look forward in hearing from you again.

Thanks,

MMX1233

harka

Nice to meet you. WOW you are very good and know your stuff.

Yes I am 30 year of age.
*****I kinda guessed that, though you are a bit younger than I thought. Usually when someone is Hepatitis B E Antibody positive AND have a detectable HBV DNA, they tend to be older than 30 or so.

I was born in England but I am Chinese. (Parents was born in Hong Kong).
******Okay, so this is one of the risk factors for having Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is endemic (i.e. present in large numbers) in the populations in SE Asia, China and India. Most of the people seen in clinics, actually, tend to be from either China, Hong Kong or "Indo-China".

I don't know, but I do not think so.
********Now that you have been diagnosed with Hep B, it is imperative the rest of your immediate family get checked--especially your mother. You can harbour the virus your entire life and not know it.

4. Why did your doctor do testing for hepatitis B?
They thought I had a stomach ulcer, but it turned out to be Gallstone. But from the orginal blood test taken the doctors saw something with results. So they sent me to a Hepatitis B blood test.
********So they must have seen that your liver enzymes were "elevated", in other words, abnormal. Liver enzymes have a certain value (usually around 30-40), but when the liver is being damaged for whatever reason, they tend to be elevated often in to the 1000s. If, however, your liver enzymes are persistently, low-level elevated (say in the 60s) it is a clue that there might be a chronic infection such as hepatitis B or C in the background (among other things).

5. Have you ever had an attack where you became jaundiced?
I am not sure what you mean by attack? is there such a thing as a Hepatitis attack? No I have never became jaundiced.
*******Sorry! By hepatitis attack I meant a period where the hepatitis all of a sudden became symptomatic and you became yellow or had pain in the right upper area of your abdomen.

6. Do you have any other health problems?
Just have Gallstone. Other than that I feel great and very fit. I play a alot of sport.
*******Good, and you should continue to be able to to do this!

8. Has your doctor ever told you your liver enzyme levels were abnormally high?
No never. I have only ever had 4 blood tests and they all have been in the last 3 months.
****This is probably not true, and you should ask your doctor specifically what lead him to the diagnosis. Unless your GP had the presence of mind to link your ethnicity with the risk of having chronic Hepatitis B (which is unlikely), he probably saw that your liver enzymes were out of

I saw the hepatologist specialist 3 weeks ago and he says I am healthy and but I need to see him every 6 months now.
*****Yes, he will continue to follow your bloodwork, as well as your liver parameters to look for evidence of either inflammation or scarring of your liver through which he will make a decision of whether to treat you or not. Also, once you turn 40, he will likely recommend yearly or bi-yearly abdominal ultrasounds to assess your liver.

I am normally a very postive person, but this have shocked me.
If I had Hepatitis B since I was born it means my Parents, brother and sister has it too. ;0( How can I tell them?
I am also scared, what if I get ill? What do I do?
**********I know how you must feel--it is definitely overwhelming to be hit with such a diagnosis. The good part about the last two questions you have is that you are in good hands being seen by a hepatologist. By seeing him regularly, you will be assessed and followed closely to see whether you need treatment or not. As for your parents: Hepatitis B is a very common thing and it is nothing to be ashamed of. You should inform them as soon as you feel ready, but I wouldn't wait too long because, I am assuming your brother is around the same age, and he will also need to be followed. Remember that IF you got it from your mother, it doesn't necessarily mean your brother OR your father have it, but it doesn't hurt for them to get tested.

Has anyone been ever cured from hepatitis B?
Can I reduce the viral load?
******Well...kind of. There are a certain population of people who get treated for hepatitis B and then end up "clearing" the virus...more exactly, the body is able to control the amount of virus in the blood (though it remains at very low levels). In most cases, the virus can simply be suppressed with medication....this prevents liver cirrhosis. The viral load can be decreased with certain medications.

Please let me know if there are other questions you have.

mmx1233

Hi cgranulomatis,

I thank you for all your help. I have a lot to think about.

I think you have answered all my questions for now, but if I have any more I know where to come.

Thank you again.

MMX1233

buzzlightyear1

If you are interested, your Hep B core total being positive you may still be able to make no less than $200 donating your plasma for research. you can donate twice a week per fda guidelines. call 888-806-5215 with a copy of your lab results to fax and they will set you up.

jimmy1980

I have also just been told that I have hepatitis b and that it is active, with a viral load of 147 000. The diagnosis was made bacause of a work related occupational hazard process. Now I have seen two different doctors and they have both recommended me to a specialist, an appointment I can only get at the end of January 2009.

It is a most disturbing diagnosis even though my older sister once said she had hepatitis - I still hav to speak to her to find out which particular one.

I am 37 years old, and also have a heart condition for which i take warfarin. My questio is, if the hepatitis is an old infection, would the doctors not have picked it up before in 2004 when they diagnosed the heart condition. I have done so many blood tests over the last 4 years. My doctor here in Germany says most transimissions in Africa are at child birth and doctors on the continent simply do not test for hepatitis.

In january I will most likely start some treatment which i understand is for 6 months - weekly injections. In your case mmx, are you being put on treatment?

mmx1233

Hi there,
Sorry for the very slow response, but i never got a auto mail from the systems saying u replayed.

Today I had my 6 month check up and give a blood sample.

The Doctor says I will need a liver biopsy ;0(
Do u know if it hurts and it is bad?

I am not on any medication or treatment. I guess this is why the doctors wants me to have a liver biopsy to work out if I do need treatment or not.

To be honesty Im not one for taking medication (i.e. drugs), I like to look at natural ways of staying healthy. For example eating the right foods, staying fit etc. But I guess we have to wait and see what my result comes back with.

At the moment I feel great and I feel there is nothing wrong with me..

I know it Jan now, How are you getting on?

thanks

Thanks,

harka

mmx1233,

I'm doing well thanks! Happy new year.

No one likes to take medication and everyone wants to do things that are "natural", but here's the deal: if you have chronic active hepatitis B which is causing liver scarring, the "natural" thing to happen is for you to progress to cirrhosis by the time you're in your mid 40s or 50s and die from cirrhosis related complications. If your doctor feels that you would benefit from antiviral therapy, I strongly recommend you consider it. Other people will tell you there are "natural" ways to fend off Hepatitis B by "boosting your immune system" and things like that. Those things are adjunctive to antiviral therapy. It's obviously a good thing to avoid drinking alcohol, or getting diabetes or taking medications that will affect your liver, but all this stuff does is to reduce any additional damage you do to your liver--only the antiviral therapy will reduce the chance of you progressing to cirrhosis.

mmx1233

Hey Happy New Year, hope you had a good one.

I guess you are right.
Just abit scared of the liver biospy and I am not even book in yet

I have been reading that taking Interferon can clear the Hep B Virus. Does this me you won't have hep B anymore? or is that you become active to inactive?
Does antiviral therapy do the same thing as Interferon?
It all quite confusing reading everything on the internet.

Thanks,

siekmeng