Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Infection with this virus can cause scarring of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death.
Hepatitis B is spread in infected blood and other bodily fluids such as semen and vaginal secretions. It is spread in the same way that the virus that causes AIDS (HIV) is spread but hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious. Most people who are infected with hepatitis B in the U.S. do not know they have it.
Understanding Female Sexual Problems -- the Basics
Sexual behavior and response requires the complicated intertwining of environmental, physical (both anatomical and hormonal), and psychological factors. Research shows that about 66% of all women have sexual concerns, including lack of desire (33%), lack of pleasure in sexual contact (20%), pain with vaginal penetration (15%), problems with arousal (18% to 48%), problems attaining climax (46%), and complete lack of orgasm (15% to 24%).Determining which factors are affecting your ability to enjoy...
Read the Understanding Female Sexual Problems -- the Basics article > >
In most adult cases (up to 95%), hepatitis B causes limited infection. Usually people manage to fight off the infection successfully within a few months, developing an immunity that lasts a lifetime. (This means you won't get the infection again). Blood tests show evidence of this immunity, but no signs of active infection. Unfortunately, this is not true in infants and young children in which 90% of infants and 30% to 50% of children will develop a chronic infection.
While the majority of adults with hepatitis B recover completely, a small percentage of them can't shake the disease and become carriers. Carriers can transmit the disease to others even when their own symptoms have vanished.
Some carriers go on to develop chronic hepatitis B. Chronic hepatitis is an ongoing infection of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis, or hardening of the liver, causes liver tissue to scar and stop working.
If you are carrying the virus you should not donate blood, plasma, body organs, tissue, or sperm. Tell your doctor, dentist, and sex partner that you are a hepatitis B carrier.
Approximately 43,000 Americans contract hepatitis B each year. However, rates have greatly declined since the 1980's when around 208,000 Americans were infected each year. This decrease in infection rates is, in large part, due to the increased use of the HBV vaccine.
It's estimated that up to 1.4 million people living with chronic hepatitis B in the U.S.
What Is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Infection with this virus can cause scarring of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death.
Hepatitis B is spread in infected blood and other bodily fluids such as semen and vaginal secretions. It is spread in the same way that the virus that causes AIDS (HIV) is spread but hepatitis B is 50 to 100 times more infectious. Most people who are infected with hepatitis B in the U.S. do not know they have it.
Recommended Related to Sexual Conditions
Understanding Female Sexual Problems -- the Basics
Sexual behavior and response requires the complicated intertwining of environmental, physical (both anatomical and hormonal), and psychological factors. Research shows that about 66% of all women have sexual concerns, including lack of desire (33%), lack of pleasure in sexual contact (20%), pain with vaginal penetration (15%), problems with arousal (18% to 48%), problems attaining climax (46%), and complete lack of orgasm (15% to 24%).Determining which factors are affecting your ability to enjoy...
Read the Understanding Female Sexual Problems -- the Basics article > >
What Happens to People With Hepatitis B?
In most adult cases (up to 95%), hepatitis B causes limited infection. Usually people manage to fight off the infection successfully within a few months, developing an immunity that lasts a lifetime. (This means you won't get the infection again). Blood tests show evidence of this immunity, but no signs of active infection. Unfortunately, this is not true in infants and young children in which 90% of infants and 30% to 50% of children will develop a chronic infection.
While the majority of adults with hepatitis B recover completely, a small percentage of them can't shake the disease and become carriers. Carriers can transmit the disease to others even when their own symptoms have vanished.
Some carriers go on to develop chronic hepatitis B. Chronic hepatitis is an ongoing infection of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis, or hardening of the liver, causes liver tissue to scar and stop working.
If you are carrying the virus you should not donate blood, plasma, body organs, tissue, or sperm. Tell your doctor, dentist, and sex partner that you are a hepatitis B carrier.
How Common Is Hepatitis B?
Approximately 43,000 Americans contract hepatitis B each year. However, rates have greatly declined since the 1980's when around 208,000 Americans were infected each year. This decrease in infection rates is, in large part, due to the increased use of the HBV vaccine.
It's estimated that up to 1.4 million people living with chronic hepatitis B in the U.S.