How To

How to Treat Hepatitis B

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(11 Ratings)

The hepatitis B virus causes liver inflammation and, in 5 to 10 percent of infected people, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and possibly liver cancer. Symptoms include nausea, fever, appetite loss, stomach pains, fatigue, jaundice (yellowed eyes and skin) and dark urine.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Consider a post-exposure antibody injection. This treatment is most effective within three days of exposure.

  2. Step 2

    Get ample rest.

  3. Step 3

    Eat a diet high in proteins and carbohydrates to help protect your liver and repair damaged cells.

  4. Step 4

    Ask your physician about alpha-interferons or nucleoside analogues, which can be used to treat hepatitis B. Not all people respond successfully to the treatments, however.

  5. Step 5

    Take annual liver function and cancer screening tests if you are a carrier.

  6. Step 6

    Limit or avoid alcohol if you are a carrier, as it can harm your liver.

  7. Step 7

    Take drugs only under a physician's direction and supervision if you are a carrier, since drugs can also damage the liver.

Tips & Warnings
  • About 90 percent of adults clear the virus from their systems and recover completely in a few months. Others are symptom-free but still carry the virus in their blood. These carriers usually lead healthy lives but are capable of infecting others.

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eHow Article: How to Treat Hepatitis B

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