How to Treat Acute Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by a virus known as HBV. It is contracted through body fluids, such as from sharing an infected needle during intravenous drug use or through sexual contact. Hepatitis B can either be acute, meaning that the disease will run its course without any lingering consequences, or chronic, resulting in liver failure, liver damage or cirrhosis. Here are the steps to treat acute hepatitis B.

Things You'll Need

• Appointment with a doctor or liver specialist

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Instructions

Treating Acute Hepatitis B

• 1

  Contact your doctor immediately if you feel you may have been exposed to HBV. An injection of hepatitis B immune globulin within 24 hours can often prevent the onset of the disease.

• 2

  Rest frequently and avoid alcohol during the recovery period, which could last for several months..Typically, no medication or other treatment is prescribed, although you may wish to discuss with your doctor the possibility of taking a natural herb called milk thistle, sometimes used to speed up the recovery time for liver ailments.

• 3

  Follow up with your doctor during the recovery period to monitor your progress and to ensure against developing other afflictions.

• 4

  If diagnosed with a rare form of acute hepatitis B known as fulminant, or acute yellow atrophy, the prognosis is much grimmer. Fulminant hepatitis B attacks the liver quickly and in adults usually leads to coma and death in just a few hours. The only known treatment is a liver transplant. Patients who do survive generally make a complete recovery.