Cure of hepatitis b

 What is hepatitis b?

Hepatitis B is an inflammatory disease of viral origin, which involves the liver by altering its functionality.

Hepatitis B can occur in both acute and chronic forms. Usually, the acute form is self-limiting and resolves itself, while for the chronic form it is necessary to resort to the use of drugs.

How hepatitis b is transmitted || How hepatitis b spread

Hepatitis B is caused by a DNA virus belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family: the hepatitis B virus or HBV.

HBV is transmitted through the blood or body fluids (such as vaginal secretions and semen ) of infected individuals.

Those exposed to a greater risk of contagion are certainly drug addicts who often use used syringes (perhaps from infected people) to inject drugs, people who have unprotected sex, and health and emergency personnel who can easily enter contact with patients blood and body fluids. In addition, infants whose mothers have hepatitis B can become infected during childbirth.

Symptoms of Hepatitis B

Most individuals with hepatitis B show no symptoms of any kind. In the case of symptomatic hepatitis B, however, nausea and vomiting, weakness, fever, loss of appetite, muscle pain, abdominal pain, dark urine, light stools, and jaundice may occur.

In adult patients, hepatitis B usually occurs in an acute and asymptomatic form and tends to self-resolve. In children, on the other hand, the hepatitis B virus can cause chronic infections more easily than in adults. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to dangerous complications, such as cirrhosis, fibrosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.

The information on Hepatitis B - Medicines to Treat Hepatitis B is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professionals and patients. Always consult your doctor and/or specialist before taking Hepatitis B - Medicines to Treat Hepatitis B.

What can cure hepatitis b? || Treatment of hepatitis b guidelines

The use or not of drugs for the treatment of hepatitis B depends on the form in which the disease presents itself.

The acute form of hepatitis B usually does not require any type of therapy, since the immune system can eradicate the virus independently. Despite this, patients with acute hepatitis B must still keep the course of the disease under control using appropriate analyzes and must introduce small changes in their lifestyle.

More specifically, this category of patients must adopt a balanced diet rich in light foods, avoid hyperlipidemic foods and alcohol, drink plenty of fluids, and rest. For further information: Diet and Hepatitis

The question is different, however, for patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B. In this case, it is necessary to resort to the use of drugs, such as antivirals and immunostimulants, even if it is not always possible to completely eradicate the infection.

The following are the classes of drugs most used in the therapy against chronic hepatitis B and some examples of pharmacological specialties; it is up to the doctor to choose the active ingredient and dosage most suitable for the patient, based on the severity of the disease, the state of health of the patient and his response to treatment.

Interferons

Interferons are proteins that are normally produced by our immune system when the presence of dangerous agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and even cancer cells is detected.

Medicines based on interferons contain, in fact, these proteins and are defined as immunostimulating drugs since they can "collaborate" with the patient's immune system, helping him to eradicate, in this case, the viral infection.

Among the interferons used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, we find:

Natural interferon-alpha (Alfaferone ®): even if the optimal dosage of the drug for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B has not yet been exactly established, the dose of natural interferon-alpha usually used is 2.5-5 million IU / m 2 of body surface area, to be administered three times a week intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The duration of treatment is generally 4-6 months.

Interferon alfa-2a (Roferon-A ®): the drug dose usually administered for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B is 2.5-5 million IU / m 2 of body surface area, to be administered subcutaneously three times a week, for 4-6 months.

Interferon alfa-2b ( IntronA ®): for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, the dose of drug usually used is 5-10 million IU, to be administered subcutaneously three times a week on alternate days.

Peginterferon alfa-2a ( Pegasys ®): the dose of drug usually used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in adults is 180 micrograms once a week, to be administered subcutaneously. For children, the amount of drugs to be given varies according to their height and body weight.

Antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B

As can be deduced from their very name, the antiviral drugs used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B have the task of fighting and eradicating the HBV virus.

Among the antivirals used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, we find:

Lamivudine ( Zeffix ®, Lamivudine Teva ®): the dose of the drug usually administered is 100 mg per day, to be taken orally. In patients with kidney problems, the doctor may decide to prescribe a lower dose of lamivudine than is normally used.

Adefovir ( Hepsera ®): the dose of antiviral usually used is 10 mg per day, to be taken orally. Lower doses of adefovir may be prescribed in patients with kidney disorders.

The drugs just described can be taken individually or in combination. The following combined therapies can also be used for the treatment of hepatitis B :

Interferon alfa + lamivudine;

Peginterferon alfa + lamivudine or adefovir;

Adefovir + lamivudine.

Furthermore, it is good to remember that all patients with hepatitis B (acute or chronic) must avoid the use of paracetamol, ibuprofen, acetylsalicylic acid, and other drugs that can overload the liver already tried by the disease.

Vaccines for Hepatitis B

In any case - despite the presence of different therapeutic strategies for the treatment of hepatitis B - the best weapon against this pathology remains prevention. 

in this regard, a vaccine and immunoglobulin treatments are available that are used in the immunoprophylaxis of hepatitis B:

Hepatitis B vaccine ( Hbvaxpro ®): the vaccine is administered in three different doses of 5 micrograms each in patients aged 0 to 15 years. It is administered intramuscularly (generally in the thigh of newborns and infants and in the deltoid muscle of children and adolescents). The first two injections must be given one month apart, while the third dose is injected six months after the first administration.

The vaccine can guarantee immunization from the hepatitis B virus for 20 years.

Anti-hepatitis B immunoglobulins (Igantibe ®, Niuliva ®): immunoglobulins allow to obtain passive immunization against the hepatitis B virus.

Immunoglobulins can be administered intramuscularly in non-immunized subjects who have come into contact with the HBV at a dose of 500 IU, but the injection should preferably be done within 24-72 hours of contact with the virus.

Immunoglobulins are also used to prevent the onset of the disease in newborns whose mothers are affected by hepatitis B at a dose of 30-100 IU / kg of body weight.

Also, if needed, immunoglobulins can be given to people who have already received the hepatitis B vaccine., even on the same day, provided that the administration takes place at different points.