Hepatitis B is not always curable, but about 95% of cases of acute hepatitis B in adults are cured spontaneously and, in most cases, no specific treatment is necessary, you only have to be careful with food, do not drink alcoholic beverages, avoid efforts and get properly hydrated, because the body’s own defense cells manage to fight the virus and eliminate the disease.
However, about 5% of acute hepatitis B cases in adults can progress to chronic hepatitis B, when the infection lasts longer than 6 months. In this case, the risk of severe liver damage such as liver cirrhosis and liver failure, for example, is high and the chances of recovery are minimal, the body cannot fight hepatitis B virus and remains in the liver.
Here’s how to treat hepatitis B correctly to increase your chances of recovery.
Children infected with the hepatitis B virus are more likely to develop the chronic form of the disease, the higher the risk. Newborns who have been infected by their mothers during pregnancy or childbirth have the greatest difficulty in eliminating the virus. In this case, the best way pregnant women can protect their babies is to practice prenatal care.
In addition, when proper treatment is not performed during the acute phase of hepatitis B, such as maintaining a healthy diet and avoiding alcoholic beverages, there is also an increased risk of developing the chronic form.
Children and adults with chronic hepatitis B need a more specific treatment indicated by the hepatologist that can be performed with antiviral drugs such as interferon and entécavir, for example.
Watch the video below to find out how foods can help cure hepatitis and prevent the chronic form of the disease:
After 6 months of treatment, confirmation of hepatitis B cure may be performed by blood tests revealing the amounts of ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, gamma GT and bilirubins.
However, all patients who develop chronic hepatitis B, especially children, cannot be cured and may have liver complications such as cirrhosis or cancer, and in these cases, liver transplantation may be indicated.