Hepatitis B: a sexually transmitted infection

Heather Little-White, PhD, Contributor

Hepatitis B is often making the news, but the question that arises in the minds of some people is whether Hepatitis B is really a sexually transmitted infection? Hepatitis B is one type of hepatitis that is often passed from an infected person to another by sexual contact, as the virus is present in blood, semen and body fluids.

As a viral infection, it is a potentially serious disease that attacks the liver. It is similar to other viral infections, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis C. Unlike hepatitis A, however, the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has the potential to seriously damage your liver and can cause chronic illness and even death.

Deadly disease

According to Medicine.Net, HBV, which causes inflammation of the liver, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) contrary to what most people believe. Sexual transmission is believed to be responsible for 30 per cent of the cases worldwide and complications from hepatitis B cause over one million deaths each year.

Liver inflammation caused by hepatitis B virus may be acute or chronic. The acute or initial phase may last for a few weeks and then the infection may clear up and people will develop immunity to the HBV, which protects them from future infection with this virus. However, others may still be infected to become chronic with long-lasting liver disease like cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and cancer of the liver. Cirrhosis prevents the liver from cleansing wastes produced within the body and can lead to death.

Transmission

How is hepatitis B transmitted? Persons with chronic hepatitis B are potentially infectious to others. The virus can be sexually transmitted during the initial or chronic stage of the infection through kissing and sexual intercourse without a condom.The disease is dangerous to women and while hepatitis B may not affect her reproductive organs, a pregnant woman can transmit hepatitis B to the foetus if she is infected during the pregnancy and she did not have a Cesarean section. The hepatitis B virus is transmitted to 80 per cent of the foetuses in women that are infected during pregnancy, giving the infected infant 80 per cent chance of developing chronic hepatitis B (Medicine.Net).

Symptoms

It typically takes nine to 21 weeks from the time of transmission for symptoms of hepatitis B if any signs are to be shown. Hepatitis B may be asymptomatic, that is showing no symptoms, in 50 per cent of the acute cases. For some, it may feel like having the common cold.The symptoms of hepatitis include:

yellow colouration of the skin or eyes (jaundice);

loss of appetite;

nausea and vomiting;

upper abdominal pain;

joint pains;

fever and chills;

dark, tea-coloured urine;

grey or clay-coloured bowel movements;

generalised malaise;

oedema (swelling of the legs) in the later stage;

fluid accumulation in the abdomen -(ascites) develop later.

Hepatitis B vaccine

A highly effective vaccine is now available to prevent hepatitis B. To administer the vaccine, a series of three injections are given in the muscle tissue of the shoulder. The second dose follows one month after the first dose, and the third dose is given five months after the second dose. It is recommended that all babies be vaccinated against HBV beginning at birth, and all children under the age of 18, who have not been vaccinated, should also receive the vaccination.

At-risk groups

Adults who engage in risky sexual behaviour or lifestyle should not be given the vaccine as they are at risk for HBV infection. At-risk groups include:

sexually active men and women who engage in unprotected sex;

persons with multiple sex partners who have unprotected sex;

intravenous drug users;

men who have sex with other men;

infants born to infected mothers;

persons who have multiple tattoos and piercings with contaminated instruments that pierce the skin;

patients on whom contaminated medical or dental instruments are used;

certain international travellers who may have sexual or blood exposures;

clients and employees of facilities for the developmentally disabled, infants and children;

patients with kidney failure or hemodialysis;

haemophiliacs who receive contaminated blood or blood products and receiving contaminated tissues or organs.

Diagnosis

Blood tests are used to diagnose HBV infection by identifying the virus in the blood or by detecting antibodies against the virus.Antibodies indicate that the person has been exposed to the virus and is immune to future infection. It also means that this person cannot transmit the virus to others or develop liver disease from the infection. Most infections will clear up within a few months.

Treatment

Those chronically infected can be treated with drugs that will slow the development of hepatitis B, as well as decrease the chance of liver disease. A person who has hepatitis B, in most cases can get better with a doctor's care and supportive treatment without specific anti-viral treatments. Where the infected person is within the household, appropriate actions must be taken to avoid spreading the disease by being careful to avoid contact with the blood of the infected individual. Even the microscopic amounts can hide in toothbrushes and razors, so these items should not be shared.

While research is continuing into the real dangers of hepatitis B, it is well established that the hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through sexual contact, so sex partners must take precautions to protection themselves from this deadly disease.

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