Response:

Your symptoms, such as dark urine, accompanied by jaundice or yellow eyes, may be related to elevated bilirubin levels. Bilirubin, a yellow pigment produced from the breakdown of old red blood cells, is partly excreted through urine, causing it to darken. This condition can result from hepatitis, liver damage, or other pancreatic and biliary diseases. However, these symptoms alone are not enough to confirm hepatitis B or any specific liver or biliary condition.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) primarily spreads through blood, sexual contact, and from mother to child. In daily life, HBV does not transmit through casual contact like eating, hugging, shaking hands, or sharing eating utensils. Nevertheless, you should avoid sharing personal items that may contain blood, such as toothbrushes and razors. Additionally, open wounds need to be covered, and appropriate infection prevention measures should be followed.

Doctor Mai advises a patient. Illustration: Tam Anh General Hospital

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is unique because it can only infect individuals who already have HBV, as HDV requires HBV's surface protein to develop. Therefore, someone infected with HBV can be co-infected or super-infected with HDV. If your family has members with both hepatitis B and D, you should undergo HBV screening. If HBsAg is positive, you should then get tested for hepatitis D to determine if you also have an HDV infection.

Not all individuals infected with HBV require antiviral medication. The treatment plan depends on the disease stage, extent of liver damage, viral load, liver enzymes, and other accompanying risk factors.

Most adults with normal immune systems who contract acute hepatitis B can clear the virus and recover on their own. Only a small percentage progress to chronic HBV infection. Conversely, infants who acquire HBV from their mother during the neonatal period will mostly develop chronic HBV infection. Therefore, proactive prevention of mother-to-child transmission is crucial from pregnancy.

In individuals with chronic hepatitis B, long-term antiviral treatment helps control the virus, limit liver damage, and reduce the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The likelihood of the hepatitis B virus completely disappearing in a short time in chronic patients is low.

Current antiviral medications primarily inhibit HBV replication, helping to reduce inflammation and liver damage, thereby lowering the risk of progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer. However, these drugs do not always completely eliminate the virus from the body.

Patients must take medication as prescribed and should not stop it on their own, even if their health has stabilized. Abruptly discontinuing medication can reactivate the virus, leading to elevated liver enzymes and acute liver damage.

The specific duration of treatment requires assessment by a specialist doctor based on each individual's condition. Besides medication to control HBV, patients also need to limit alcohol, maintain a healthy weight, manage blood sugar and blood lipids, and undergo regular follow-ups, tests, and liver cancer screenings as advised.

Given that your family has members with hepatitis B and D, you are in a high-risk group for HBV infection and should get tested. Early detection, proper treatment, and monitoring can help control the disease, protect liver function, and significantly reduce the risk of long-term complications.

Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai

Unit of Gastroenterology - Hepatobiliary

Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7