Hep B Blog

Category Archives: Hepatitis B Prevention

Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review – May 2015

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • New Treatments Targeting Hepatitis B Start Clinical Trials Soon
  • Experts Urge Doctors to Screen Pregnant Women for Both Hepatitis B and High Viral Loads
  • Using Antivirals Early in a Pregnancy Reduces Infection of Newborns
  • Some Pregnant Women in U.S. Still Not Getting Screened for HBV and STIs
  • High Viral Loads in Men Increase the Amount of HBV DNA in Their Sperm
  • Despite Vaccine, Rural States See Rise in Hepatitis B Due to Heroin Use
  • More Than Half of Young Drug Users Are Not Vaccinated Against Hepatitis A and B
  • Shorter Vaccination Schedule Works to Prevent Infection Among Drug Users
  • Generic Entecavir Could Treat All Patients Worldwide for $36 a Year
  • Reformulated Tenofovir Appears Better at Fighting Infection in Liver Cells
  • Another Report Calls for Doctors to Screen All Patients for HBV Before Starting Chemotherapy
  • Study Confirms Aflatoxins Increase Liver Cancer in Hepatitis B Patients

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – May 2015" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment

Highlights of the New WHO Chronic Hepatitis B Guidelines

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UnknownHave you had an opportunity to take a look at the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the treatment of those with chronic hepatitis B?

Guidelines developed by other medical organizations including AASLD, EASL, and APASL were focused mainly on the prevention, care and treatment of hepatitis B for those living in higher income countries. The new WHO guidelines were developed with low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) in mind, though they are certainly applicable in high-income countries as well. Continue reading "Highlights of the New WHO Chronic Hepatitis B Guidelines" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 2

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1716136dfa105e7f9bdf96de16e31742You can’t neatly package and control everything, but you can use good judgment and not over react when thinking about hepatitis B transmission. Hep B is not casually transmitted, but you know yourself, and both infected and uninfected individuals can take simple precautions. If you don’t have hepatitis B and you are sexually active, make sure you are vaccinated. If you have hep B, encourage your partners to get vaccinated. If you’re not in a monogamous relationship and/or one partner has not completed the hepatitis B vaccine series, use a condom!

(Click here if you’re looking for Part 1) Continue reading "The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 2" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 1

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1716136dfa105e7f9bdf96de16e31742All pun and a little fun is intended with this title, but the “adult” version of hepatitis B transmission is a serious concern. There are “shades of gray” when it comes to hepatitis B transmission and the degree of risk with sexual activity. Continue reading "The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 1" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review – January 2015

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ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • Having Hepatitis B and a Family Member with Cancer Raises Cancer Risk Dramatically
  • VA Tests Only 21.8% of Its Patients for Hepatitis B, Missing Many at Risk of Infection
  • Research Shows Importance of HBV Screening Before Chemotherapy Begins
  • Younger Age and Low HBsAgLevels Benefit Patients Who Stop Antivirals
  • Doctors Debate Benefits of Interferon vs. Antiviral Treatment
  • New Study Finds Fibroscan Accuracy on Par with Liver Biopsies
  • Mild Kidney Problems and Bone Loss Linked to Antivirals
  • Hepatitis B Vaccine Effectiveness Challenged

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – January 2015" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Liver Cancer

Fighting the Doom and Gloom: Prevention Works!

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Hepatitis B vaccination event in Laos.

In recognition of Liver Cancer Awareness Month, Liver Cancer Connect is highlighting some of the advances in prevention, screening, and treatment that are leading to increased survival among people with liver cancer. Continue reading "Fighting the Doom and Gloom: Prevention Works!" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Liver Cancer

Do You Know Your Hepatitis Facts from Fiction?

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Hepatitis-Awareness-Month(2)
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month!

In recognition of May as Hepatitis Awareness Month, Liver Cancer Connect reviews some important facts and dangerous fiction about chronic hepatitis B and C- the world’s leading causes of liver cancer.  Continue reading "Do You Know Your Hepatitis Facts from Fiction?" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

The World’s Second Deadliest Cancer Is …Preventable

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bandages

Liver cancer is the world’s second leading cause of cancer deaths, according to the latest World Cancer Report 2014 released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO). About 800,000 deaths per year are related to liver cancer. Continue reading "The World’s Second Deadliest Cancer Is …Preventable" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment, Living with Hepatitis B

HBV Journal Review – January 2014

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HBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored: Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – January 2014" →

Hepatitis B Prevention

Study Suggests Vaccine and HBIG Ineffective at Preventing “Occult” Hepatitis B in Babies Born to Infected Mothers

— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate

A new study suggests for the first time that the combination of the hepatitis B vaccine and HBIG (hepatitis B immune globulin) may be ineffective in preventing “occult” hepatitis B in babies born to mothers infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). An occult infection occurs when a person tests negative for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)—considered an essential antigen building block for HBV—while testing positive for HBV DNA. When this occult infection occurs, researchers suspect the HBsAg has somehow mutated so conventional lab tests can’t identify it. Continue reading "Study Suggests Vaccine and HBIG Ineffective at Preventing “Occult” Hepatitis B in Babies Born to Infected Mothers" →

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute