Will hepatitis B patients develop liver cirrhosis if they take medication and don't drink alcohol? How long will they live? Answered in one article

Whether online or at work, people often ask questions such as: If a hepatitis B patient takes medication and does not smoke or drink, will he or she develop cirrhosis of the liver? Will this affect his or her life expectancy? This article will give us a brief understanding of the relevant issues of hepatitis B.

Everyone may be familiar with hepatitis B. We are also familiar with terms such as big triple positive and small triple positive. One of the main causes of liver cirrhosis in my country is hepatitis B, which is an infectious disease mainly caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and characterized by liver lesions.

The national statistics on deaths from statutory infectious diseases in 2020 released by the National Health Commission show that among the more than 40 statutory infectious diseases in my country, viral hepatitis is still the infectious disease with the largest number of cases. Today we will take a deeper look at hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B virus is a DNA virus. It has its own unique antigen-antibody system. The antigen system is a unique protein of hepatitis B virus, which can make our body's immune system produce unique immune substance antibodies, which are the contents of the five hepatitis B tests, and are also important indicators for diagnosing and analyzing the condition of hepatitis B patients. Both acute hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis B virus carriers are contagious. The hepatitis B virus has an active period and a resting period in the body. The active hepatitis B virus will damage our liver and cause us to have corresponding symptoms. Although some patients have positive related virus tests, their liver function indicators have not changed, and they have no corresponding symptoms. These patients are called "hepatitis B virus carriers" and do not need drug treatment.

First of all, we need to know the transmission route in order to correctly understand and prevent infectious diseases. Hepatitis B virus, referred to as HBV, is transmitted through blood, sexual contact and mother-to-child transmission. Among adults, it is mainly transmitted through blood and sexual contact.

HBV is transmitted through damaged skin and mucous membranes, such as pedicure and tattooing, ear piercing, sharing razors and toothbrushes, and unprotected sexual contact with HBV infected people. These are all high-risk behaviors for HBV infection. After HBV enters the human body through the above routes, most of it will be cleared by the mononuclear macrophages in our immune system. Some of the viruses that are not cleared enter the liver cells through the fusion of the envelope and liver cells. HBV does not directly cause liver cell damage. Liver cell lesions mainly depend on the body's immune response, especially the cellular immune response. The damage mainly includes degeneration and necrosis of liver cells, fibrosis and even cancer. After going through the trilogy of hepatitis B liver damage, cirrhosis and liver cancer, this is the main mechanism of HBV damage to our liver.

Both big triple positive and small triple positive are relatively common types of hepatitis B infection, but they represent different meanings. Usually, in the big triple positive case, the virus replicates very actively, the virus content is relatively high, and the infectiousness is relatively strong. It can be said to be the most infectious of all types of hepatitis B infection. With the occurrence of the body's immune control, big triple positive can be transformed into small triple positive, and usually the virus replication enters a low level, in which case the infectiousness will also decrease accordingly.

Hepatitis B virus is just two different types of viral infection, and has no direct relationship with the severity of the disease. Liver function and other tests are needed to understand the specific condition. Hepatitis B virus two-pair half test cannot accurately determine the replication of the virus. Virus DNA test just makes up for this defect. DNA refers to deoxyribonucleic acid. Virus replication depends on DNA replication. The higher the concentration of DNA, the more active the virus replication.

Regardless of whether the patient is a big triple positive or a small triple positive, once it is found that they have hepatitis B, it is recommended to test HBV-DNA. Generally speaking, each patient will show different symptoms. If the virus is in an active period, the hepatitis B virus DNA test may need to be more frequent, once every 1-2 months. If the patient is in the tolerance period of the virus and the condition is relatively stable, it can be tested once every 3-6 months.

During the antiviral treatment, HBV-DNA needs to be tested regularly. Generally speaking, it needs to be tested at least once every three months. The hepatitis B virus DNA test report includes qualitative and quantitative tests. Qualitative tests determine whether the test is negative or positive. The normal value of hepatitis B virus DNA is negative. A positive result from qualitative tests indicates that the virus is easily transmitted to others, while a negative result indicates that the virus is not easily transmitted to others. Sometimes qualitative diagnosis is more valuable than quantitative diagnosis. Generally, a value greater than 10 cubed is defined as positive, 10^3-5 is defined as low replication, 10^5-7 is defined as medium replication, and greater than 10^7 is defined as high replication. However, the limitations of experimental observations and the complexity of the disease must be taken into account, and generalizations cannot be made.

The latest international data show that the threshold viral DNA level associated with disease progression is still unclear. Even if the HBV-DNA level remains below 10^4 copies/mL, the hepatitis B virus may further develop. Therefore, the HBV DNA viral value should be as low as possible. The internationally recommended normal value for HBV DNA testing should be <50 copies/mL.

Liver function is mainly measured by indicators to see the degree of liver damage. If you have been taking medicine and don't drink alcohol, first of all, any medicine will more or less damage the liver. Cirrhosis is a period of development of hepatitis B, and the final stage of pathological development is liver cancer. There are many causes of death, and complications can lead to multiple organ failure. From statistics and experience, it is common for hepatitis B patients to live over 50 years old. As for how long they live, it varies from person to person, and this cannot be generalized.

After contracting hepatitis B, you may live to over 80 years old. Hepatitis B is not a terminal illness. If you carry the hepatitis B virus in your body, as long as you do not develop cirrhosis, your life span can be the same as that of a normal person. However, you must take good care of your liver. The liver is most afraid of drinking alcohol, which has a direct toxic effect on the liver, so you must not drink alcohol at all. In addition, be careful not to stay up late. Staying up late for a long time will prevent the liver from getting rest, reduce the liver's detoxification ability, and induce hepatitis activity. Also, do not eat foods with too many additives. Additives are chemically synthesized. Eating too much will only increase the detoxification burden on the liver. You must also do regular physical examinations. If there is a problem, treat it in time. If you do the above lifestyle adjustments, your life span can basically be the same as that of uninfected people.