Hep B Blog

Category Archives: Hepatitis B Treatment

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

The Veterans Administration Ignores an Enemy on the Homefront: Hepatitis B

Courtesy of the U.S. Defense Health Agency.
Courtesy of the U.S. Defense Health Agency.

With Veterans Day comes reports about the lack of adequate mental health care for men and women returning from war. There is another, invisible health issue threatening veterans of all ages–hepatitis B.

Few veterans have ever been screened or treated for hepatitis B though their infection rate is four-times the national average.

The percentage of veterans infected with hepatitis B may actually be higher, but no one knows. Only 15 percent of U.S. veterans have ever been screened for hepatitis B. Among the few screened and diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, only 25 percent have received antiviral treatment and only 13 percent have been screened for liver cancer. Continue reading "The Veterans Administration Ignores an Enemy on the Homefront: Hepatitis B" →

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Treatment, Living with Hepatitis B

Shop Carefully for the Best Insurance Plan When You Have Hepatitis B

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Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With the cost of health care and prescription drugs soaring, it’s important to choose health insurance carefully when you take hepatitis B medications and need frequent check-ups and lab tests.

In the next two months, Medicare recipients, people who get insurance through their jobs and consumers buying coverage through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will be selecting insurance plans during open enrollment.

If you take antivirals or interferon and have frequent lab tests and doctor visits, it’s important that you select the plan that:

  • Has your specialist or primary care doctor and lab in its network,
  • And offers the lowest copay for the drugs you need.

Continue reading "Shop Carefully for the Best Insurance Plan When You Have Hepatitis B" →

Hepatitis B Treatment, Living with Hepatitis B

The Hepatitis B Patient Community Loses Its “Mom”

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Hep B List "parents" Sheree Martin and Steve Bingham at a 2005 patient conference.
Hep B List “parents” Sheree Martin and Steve Bingham at a 2005 patient conference.

The hepatitis B community recently lost its much-loved advocate, resource and “mom,” Sheree Martin. She was co-owner of the Hepatits B Information and Support List from 1998 to 2011 and comforter and consultant to thousands of people around the world who live with hepatitis B.

The reach of her kindness and wisdom cannot be under-estimated. In the early days of hepatitis B, when medical treatment was misguided and stigma ran rife, Sheree nurtured a safe, online community that provided reassurance and accurate medical information. For many, it was the first time they were able to share the confusion, loneliness and frustration of living with chronic hepatitis B with people just like them. Continue reading "The Hepatitis B Patient Community Loses Its “Mom”" →

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer

Updates in Hepatitis B-related Liver Cancer Care

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

While liver cancer cases continue to climb in the U.S., so has the medical community’s ability to care for hepatitis B patients affected by liver cancer. Here are some updates and reminders to help you talk to your doctor and get the best care possible. Continue reading "Updates in Hepatitis B-related Liver Cancer Care" →

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer

HBV Journal Review – June 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:

  • HBV Liver Cancer Requires Aggressive Treatment from the Start
  • Experts: Treat Cirrhotic Patients, Even if Viral Load Is Low
  • Some Patients Can Safely Stop Antiviral After Four Years
  • Tenofovir Safe and Effective in Pregnant Women with Drug Resistance
  • Researchers Discover Why Children Become Chronically Infected
  • Expert Recommends Treatment for Mental Confusion from Cirrhosis
  • Antivirals Increase Survival After Liver Cancer Treatment
  • HBV Patients with Diabetes Have a Higher Risk of Liver Cancer
  • Long-term Antiviral Use Increases Hip Fracture Rates Slightly
  • Second Vaccine Series May Be Needed for Children with Celiac Disease
  • Researchers Find HBV B Strain in Cuba Did Not Come from Africa

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – June 2015" →

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 Treatment

HBV Journal Review April 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:

  • Half of Patients with HBV Genotype C Will Lose HBsAg
  • Five-year Study Shows Tenofovir Dramatically Improves Cirrhosis
  • Tenofovir Also Effective Against Adefovir and Multi-drug Resistance
  • Tenofovir Is Effective in Pregnant Women Who Have Resistance to Other Drugs
  • Estimates of Liver Cirrhosis in the U.S. Jump 50%
  • Taking Antivirals for Three Years After Undetectable Viral Load Reduces Relapse Risk
  • Study Finds Antivirals Can Replace Costly HBIG after Liver Transplant Surgery
  • Hospitalized Hepatitis B Patients Have Higher Death Rates and Longer Stays Than Hepatitis C Patients
  • Small Study Finds Psoriasis Treatment May Not Reactivate Hepatitis B
  • Emulsion Made from Ginkgo Leaves Shows Promise Against Hepatitis B
  • Experimental Treatment Boosts the Immune System and Slows Viral Replication
  • HIV-HBV Coinfected Patients Have High Rates of Hip Fractures

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review April 2015" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review March 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:

  • Cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes Drugs Markedly Lower Cancer Risk in Hepatitis B Patients
  • Hepatitis B Increases Risk of Stomach Cancer
  • Unsafe Injections Caused 1.7 Million HBV Infections Worldwide in 2010
  • New Guidelines Require Doctors to Screen for Hepatitis B Before Starting Chemotherapy
  • Computer Reminders Effective at Prompting Doctors to Screen for HBV Before Starting Chemotherapy
  • Study Finds Getting Frequent Cancer Screenings Saves Lives
  • Use of Radio Waves to Destroy Small Liver Tumors as Effective as Surgery
  • Interferon Increases Thyroid Disease in Hepatitis B and C Patients
  • Smoking Impairs Recovery from Hepatitis B and the Effectiveness of Immunization
  • Hepatitis B Immunization Coverage Declined 2.1% in 2013

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review March 2015" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review February 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:

  • Quality of Care for Women with Hepatitis B Varies Dramatically Across U.S.
  • One-third of HBeAg-negative Women Experience “Flares” After Childbirth
  • Immunizing Newborns Is an Effective Tool in Preventing Cancer
  • Experts Warn: Don’t Delay Treatment in Patients with HBV Genotype C
  • Antivirals Help Patients with Cirrhosis, If Started Early Enough
  • Entecavir Effective at Clearing HBV’s cccDNA from Liver Cells
  • Older Age and a Weakened Immune System Can Cause HBV to Reactivate
  • Survey Shows Doctors Fail to Adequately Screen for Liver Cancer
  • Innovative Venues Increase Hepatitis B Screening Among Asian-Americans
  • Study Finds Waste Collectors at High Risk of Hepatitis B
  • Study Comparing Four Antivirals Finds All Appear Effective

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review February 2015" →

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute