Hepatitis B is not always curable, but about 95% of cases of acute hepatitis B in adults are spontaneously cured and, in most cases, there is no need to carry out specific treatment, just being careful with food, not drinking alcoholic beverages, avoid making efforts and hydrate properly, because the body's own defense cells manage to fight the virus and eliminate the disease.
However, approximately 5% of cases of acute hepatitis B in adults can progress to chronic hepatitis B, when the infection lasts more than 6 months. In this case, the risk of serious liver damage such as liver cirrhosis and liver failure, for example, is high and the chances of a cure are minimal, as the body was unable to fight the hepatitis B virus and it remained in the liver.
Here's how to properly treat hepatitis B to increase your chances of a cure.
Who can develop chronic hepatitis B
There is a greater risk for children infected with the hepatitis B virus to develop the chronic form of the disease, and the younger, the greater this risk. Newborn babies who were infected by their mother during pregnancy or childbirth are the ones who have the most difficulty eliminating the virus. In this case, the best way for pregnant women to protect their babies is to perform prenatal care.
In addition, when adequate treatment is not done 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 more specific treatment indicated by the hepatologist, which can be done with antiviral drugs such as Interferon and Entecavir, for example.
Watch the following video to find out how food can help cure hepatitis and prevent the chronic form of the disease:
How to confirm the cure of hepatitis B
After 6 months of the treatment, the confirmation of the cure of hepatitis B can be done through blood tests that reveal the amounts of ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, gamma GT and bilirubins.
However, not all patients who develop chronic hepatitis B, especially children, reach a cure and may have liver complications such as cirrhosis or cancer, and in these cases, liver transplantation may be indicated.
