Hepatitis B

[alienbite]

Dear Dr. sorry to post on this forum but i didnt find another forum for Hepatitis B.
a week ago, me and my fiance were doing the blood test before marriage, we were shocked that she is HBV + (chornic)and even we were together for a year now and we had unprotected unnumerous times and i was negative.
her Dr requested many tests after the diagnosis and came back all good related to the liver ( i dont have them with me now) but the liver tests came back very good just like mine. we did a PCR test now and the result will come back in 20 days and the Dr says that according to the viral load, we will decide if she needs treatment for now or no, and he says that he is certain that her load is low because her liver is very good plus she didnt pass the virus to me too. and her immune to the virus came back positive which is good i guess.
questions:
what are the chances that she might have cirrohsis ? or liver cancer ?
what is the life span if she is undercontrol and on meds if needed ?
any risks on the babies ?
the meds work well ? are they injections ? or pills ?
for how long the treatment might last ?  or what is the average treatment time
our wedding is next week, this issue made me even closer to her, i have had my first vaccine last week and i will have e more, but her situation is what i care about for now.
she looks very good and healthy, she says that she has a mild liver pain, she started noticing it after she knew that she is HBV+ so it might be just psychological thingy

thank you Dr.
Antonio

[Thomas D Schiano, MD]

as long as you have protective antibody (such as after the vaccination series) you can not contract the HBV from her.  She sounds like she could be a carrier and the HBV would be inactive.  If the HBV-DNA is (-) she doesn't require treatment and should have lab tests checked every 6 months.  As long as the ALT is normal, odds are she doesn't have advanced liver disease or cirrhosis.  she should definitely see a gastroenterologist with regards all of this.  if the HBV is undetectable, there is negligible risk for transmission to a newborn, who will receive the appropriate vaccination strategy regardless.  Please go to PUBMED and check out the doctor Anna SF Lok for some of her publications, which might help answer some more of your questions.

[bberry]

what are the chances that she might have cirrohsis ? or liver cancer ?

- seems to be low. her viral load might come back low which put her at an inactive carrier status. she might not be a candidtate for treatment with these results. in other words she will continue  monitor her situation every six month or so for life to make sure her immune system has some type of control over the virus. medicine may not do her any good or bad.. not going to effect the virus or her if she goes on treatment


what is the life span if she is undercontrol and on meds if needed ?

- maybe one day.. could be two week..possiblely 60 years..life and death is in the hands of God.. if it is not hepB it is something else.. as for hepB, people with chronic hepB will most likely die with it but not because of it.. she looks pretty well  and will most likely live a long healthy life .. she does need to take care of herself better and stay away from food that is fatty and completly stop alcohol.. there is no joking with alcohol..she needs to quit it altogether at once if she is a drinker..

any risks on the babies ?
- babies in the USA get their first shot of vaccine within the first two hours of their birth. not sure where you come from or live but if i were you i would make sure my baby gets the vaccine right after they are born this will secure immunity for them.. hopefullly


the meds work well ? are they injections ? or pills ?
- your fiance may not be in need of treatment but for those who are, usually a pill will do. there is a type of treatment for people with hepC and some hepB patiencts are made to go on it is done by injection.. very uncommon though so the answer is pills.


for how long the treatment might last ?  or what is the average treatment time

- it differs. i dont want to confuse with info you may not need for now but most people that go on meds try to seroconvert or change their status from active ro inactive. once they become inactive they may stop meds and start monitoring.  a smaller percentage of people will go on meds for life. so it is different from one patient to another.


our wedding is next week, this issue made me even closer to her, i have had my first vaccine last week and i will have e more, but her situation is what i care about for now.
she looks very good and healthy, she says that she has a mild liver pain, she started noticing it after she knew that she is HBV+ so it might be just psychological thingy

- well upper right side pain in the liver area is common for people with hepB. so i wouldnt worry much with her results.it is more of discomformt at times then pain. she does need to do complete hepB profile by the way. she needs to test for hbsag, hbsab, hjbcab, hbeag,hbeab,hbv dna . this will give a complete picture about your current status.

congratulations on your wedding. go on with it as this does not exist. for now at least. tell her to lay off alcohol as this will hurt healthy people let alone people with hepB.

good luck

[Sharp7]

chances: low, but be sure to test for all these possibilities.
I can answer your questions individually, but you can find most answers at http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Hepatitis/HepB-Introduction--Welcome-Page/show/34?cid=153

I wish you all the best for your wedding, and a happy married life.
BTW, I have not come across a doctor on this forum for a very long time... just patients discussing with each other.