[Medical Q&A] What are the dangers of babies being infected with hepatitis B virus?

Author: Hu Fang, deputy chief physician of Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center

Reviewer: Wang Qian, researcher at the Maternal and Child Health Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Hepatitis B is a type of viral hepatitis caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is a preventable but difficult to treat infectious disease. The harm of hepatitis B virus infection in babies is multifaceted.

If a baby is infected with HBV during the perinatal period, infancy, and ≥5 years of age, 90%, 20%-50%, and 5%-10% will develop chronic hepatitis B, respectively. That is, the younger the age of infection with HBV, the higher the probability of developing chronic infection in the future. Once HBV infection becomes chronic, about 25% of patients will eventually develop cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatitis B virus infection seriously endangers human health and brings heavy economic burden to children's physical and mental health, families, society and the country. Therefore, if your baby is unfortunately infected with hepatitis B virus, parents should pay great attention to it and take the baby to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time.