Hepatitis B: Analyzing Disease - Essay Example

Analyzing Hepatitis B School Affiliation: Introduction Despite the advancement of technology in different areas, humans still grapplewith diseases, some of which are incurable. Even though many of these diseases are contagious, some preventive measures including vaccines could mitigate both the spreading and effects of these diseases. Hepatitis is one of the diseases suffered by many people worldwide whose causes vary with the type. Normally, viral hepatitis is divided into three sections including hepatitis A, B and C, and these types are determined by laboratory tests. The symptoms and the respective treatments for each of these are also different as are the causes, but they all primarily affect the liver. In this paper, the focus will be on Hepatitis B (HB) as it has been responsible for 600,000 worldwide deaths annually (Wasley et al, 2010). Causes and transmission Like many other diseases, hepatitis B has its cause though this information is often known first by the health practitioners than the patients. As for this disease, a virus called hepatitis B virus, often abbreviated as HBV, causes it. Concerning its transmission methods, HB occurs whenever semen, blood or any other body fluid enters a non-infected person from a patient (CDC, 2015). That is to say, one could contact HB if there is a sharing of injecting equipment such as needles or syringes; sexual relations as well as while giving birth. Signs and symptoms It is worth noting that HB has two categories: acute and chronic infection. Acute infection refers to the first time a person realizes to be infected with HB. Often, this stage characterized by mild symptoms and only a few cases of serious illness. In fact, many people, especially adults, tend to recover from this illness with little intervention. Sadly, this is not the case with infants, and many could die even at this stage. If the acute infection is ignore or not treated for at least six months, the inevitable chronic infection materializes. Regardless of the stage, a person suffering from HB will exhibit various signs and symptoms including dark urine, joint fever, abdominal pain, appetite-loss and nausea or vomiting. In addition, a patient has jaundice and their bowel movement is clay-colored. Unfortunately, patients of chronic HB could be asymptomatic, lack clear liver-disease evidence and suffer from cirrhosis or another kind of liver-cancer called the hepatocellular carcinoma (CDC, 2015). Thus, it is imperative to ensure that once the signs are observed in the acute stage, treatment is sought quickly to avert the more deadly consequences in the chronic stage. Complications and treatment Though early interventions can significantly reduce these cases, there are complications that tend to occur. First, liver scarring often-called cirrhosis is a common complication where patients complain of inflammation. When cirrhosis progresses, a patient’s liver might be impaired hence leading to malfunction. Secondly, liver cancer is common to people with the HB infection, and although vaccination could help in preventing HB, many people do not seek this assistance early enough. Liver transfer is another complication that is witnessed in HB cases, and is necessitated by an acute liver failure. Finally, the HB patients risk having other complications such as anemia and kidney disease (CDC, 2015). Regarding the treatment offered, it is dependent on the stage of the disease where acute infection has no medication. Instead, the treatment offered is usually supportive unlike the chronic where some anti-viral drugs are offered to the patients. In addition to the drugs, patients whose HB condition is chronic require regular evaluation monitoring meant to scrutinize if hepatocellular carcinoma or liver-damage are on-going (CDC, 2015). In cases where one is diagnosed with acute infection, doctors recommend enough rest, adequate fluids and nutrition, which subsequently help in fighting the infection. Also, one can receive a vaccination to prevent the impact of the virus 12 hours after the infection; vaccines can also be given to uninfected persons. Demographic of interest In terms of mortality rates, a number of factors influence the statistics including the age and how fast intervention is done. For adults, it has been noted that 90% who suffer from the HB infection recovers later and develops strong protective anti-bodies that prevent future infections. Nonetheless, a small percentage of those with the infection see the condition worsen to the fatal stage where at least 10% of these end up losing their lives. Sadly, 90%of the infants suffer the infection with 50% of these having their condition end up in the chronic stage. Then, at least 20% of this category suffers death (CDC, 2015). Prevalence According to the World Health organization (WHO), the more developed a country is, the lower cases of HB. The major reasons for this escalation is sharing of injection equipment, failure to test blood, not seeking medical assistance and failure to vaccinate populations. In the US, vaccination has significantly reduced the mortality and morbidity rates in comparison to the 80s. Wasley et al (2010) reported that in the 80s, close to 200,000 American adults and children suffered from HB, but the figure had dropped to only 20,000 in 2006. Contributing Factors As earlier indicated, HB is passed through the transmission of body fluids where needles, syringes are shared in addition to sexual contact. For that reason, some of the factors contributing greatly to this disease are ignorance of the effects of sharing the injection equipment. Even though some are aware of the dangers posed by sharing of such equipment, they engage in such habits nevertheless. Men who have sex with fellow men have also found to be at risk of contracting HB, obviously because of the fluids involved (CDC, 2015). Worse still, some medical practitioners, especially in the developing countries, overlook the need for blood test before administering it to the patients. Because of the challenges that the medical practitioners encounter in developing countries, blood tests are rarely conducted. The challenges range from lack of personnel, poor equipment and overcrowded health facilities. Also, developing countries’ economic conditions make it easier for some to involve in multiple sexual relations thus increasing the HB chances. Failure to undergo vaccination is another catalyst of the HB where for varied reasons people avoid this exercise (Franco, 2012). HB epidemiologic triangle An epidemiology triangle comprises of three vertices with representing the host, agent and the environment. For a disease to occur there has to be an outside agent with a capability of causing a disease, which meets a friendly host in a vulnerable environment. In the case of HB, the epidemiology triangle comprises of the infection as the agent. When the agent is exposed to the environment through various risks health behaviors, it enters the host, human body. When a human engages in a behavior likely to cause the infection, the body acts as the host. Role of the community health nurse The community health nurses play a critical role in every community without which, prevention and even eradication of some diseases would be almost impossible. Their primary role is to work with the communities in a bid to understand and offer health-related assistance the population needs. With the help of these individuals, social reforms are enacted since their observations prove vita. In fact, Kulbok et al (2012) reported that the early public nurses had extended roles including advocacy and political reforms. Today, these people help in the health education and community organizing. Additionally, the community nurses in the modern era help in addressing some social and health conditions or problems. Also, this category of medical practitioners helps in the administering of preventive measures and even medicines in some cases (Kulbok et al, 2012). Also in some cases, the community nurses’ roles include offering medical assistance to people in their homes. Because of often exhibiting tremendous adaptability traits, nurses help even the most disadvantaged communities. Again, whenever vaccination is needed, nurses play the crucial role of identifying the needy individuals since they have interacted freely with them. Because of this interaction, nurses help in data collection, analysis, reporting and case finding, and this greatly influences the healthcare positively. National Agency addressing HB The Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is a national organization whose primary role is to offer and protect health security for the Americans. To do this, the organization is actively involved in research activities geared toward identifying and preventing diseases. The role of CDC is to have an all-round security on diseases (CDC, 2015). In the case of HB, the organization employs various tactics in dealing with the disease. First, availing the much-needed information on the causes and signs of the disease plays an important role. Secondly, offering the steps to take when signs emerge help in preventing an acute infection from progressing into a chronic one. Furthermore, by vaccinating the population including the infants, the CDC indeed helps in reducing the spreading of HB. Also, patients receive the vital information on the kind of foods to take and the preventive measures to take in a bid to curb the contagion of the HB. To make sure that people are aware of the various diseases, HB include, the CDC avails all the relevant information online to reach everyone around the US. As a result, people are able to identify the signs and seek medical attention before the conditions worsen. In essence, CDC helps the American citizens overcome HB by information and treatment. Conclusion To sum it up, HB is a serious disease that still threatens humanity, but one that can be controlled. The hepatitis B that causes this disease has at least two stages as mentioned, and if the first one is detected early enough, the disease can be controlled. Besides vaccination, people can control HB by avoiding risk health behavior such as haring of injection equipment including needles and syringes. Additionally, having multiple sex partners is not recommended since it is one of the ways through which HB is transmitted. Though more adults do recover, especially when at acute infection, it is imperative to observe the health measures mentioned. While CDC plays a critical preventive role, it is everyone’s responsibility to acquire the necessary knowledge and observe the right health behaviors. References Center For Disease Control and prevention,. (2015). Mission, Role and Pledge| About | CDC. Retrieved 18 June 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm Center For Disease Control and prevention(2015). HBV FAQs for Health Professionals | Division of Viral Hepatitis | CDC. Retrieved 18 June 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/hbvfaq.htm#treatment Franco, E. (2012). Hepatitis A: Epidemiology and prevention in developing countries. World Journal Of Hepatology, 4(3), 68. Kulbok, P.A., Thatcher, E., Park, E., Meszaros, P.S. (May 31, 2012) "Evolving Public Health Nursing Roles: Focus on Community Participatory Health Promotion and Prevention" The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 17, No. 2, Manuscript 1. Wasley, A., Kruszon‐Moran, D., Kuhnert, W., Simard, E., Finelli, L., McQuillan, G., & Bell, B. (2010). The Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the United States in the Era of Vaccination. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases, 202(2), 192-201. Read More