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Transcript
Kristina McIntosh Infectious Disease Hepatitis b DIS- Dr. Harris Hepatitis B Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms. Bacteria, fungus, or parasites are all organisms that can cause an infectious disease (McMichael). Many of these organisms live in and around our bodies but most of the time they are harmless, sometimes even helpful. Some organisms, however, are capable of causing disease under certain conditions. Personal health is influenced by daily activity. Exposure to influenzas, physical activity, food consumption, sexual activity, and urban air quality are also contributors that influence our health (McMichael p.22). Infectious diseases play a vital role in human evolution, economics, and behavior. Hepatitis B is a prime example of a dynamic and potentially devastating virus that has had a major impact on mankind. This paper will review a history of Hepatitis b as well as it's mechanism of action and it's effect upon humanity (McMichael). Hepatitis b is a part of the hepadnavirus family. It consists of a lipid envelope and an icosahedral protein capsid underneath. It is a DNA virus. This virus is a non-retro virus that still uses DNA reverse transcriptase for replication which has caused hepatitis B to be referred to as a pararetrovirus. The virus uses cell surface proteins to induce it's own endocytosis and then releases it's DNA into the nucleus of the host cell. RNA and protein transcription soon follow and this is how the hepatitis b replicates in the liver. Hepatitis is the swelling or inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis b is a virus that attacks the liver. It is the most common serious liver infection in the world. One out of every three people in the world have been infected and one out of twenty people in the united states have hepatitis b. Five thousand people will die each year from hep b and its complications, forty thousand people will become infected. An Estimated 1 million people will die each year from hep b worldwide. The liver is the largest organ in your body a little larger then a softball. The liver is one of the most important organs within our body. It stores iron and sugar to give you energy, clears the blood of wastes such as alcohol, drugs, and poison, and is what helps clot our blood when we are bleeding. The liver is what produces bile which our body uses to breakdown and digest fats. The liver is so important that we would only survive no more then two days once it shuts down. It is also regenerative, it rebuilds tissue if any is damaged or removed. With Chronic hep b the liver is constantly being attacked by the virus. Some of the effects of the disease are fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Fibrosis of the liver is the scarring process caused by cells in the liver responding to constant injury. The scaring and half healing causes a disruption in blood flow and disruption in the livers natural processes. Fibrosis leads to cirrhosis, after large areas of the liver have become permanently scarred, nodules begin to form. Because the blood can no longer flow its normal course the liver begins to shrink and the areas are not getting enough blood become hardened. When cirrhosis continues to worsen, liver failure can occur. Once this happens the liver is unable to clear our blood of wastes such a alcohol, drugs, and poisons mentioned earlier. It can no longer clot bleeding and store iron and sugar for energy. Hepatitis b causes 80% of all primary liver cancers. Most common in African Americans between the ages of 45-56 ("Center for Disease Control and Prevention"). The hepatitis virus has different strains which have different means of transmission. Hep b is one hundred times more infectious than the AIDS virus. Hep A is the most common strain of the hepatitis virus and generally resolves on its own leading to no long term liver damage. Hep A is contracted when a person eats or drinks something that has been in contact with infected feces. Hepatitis b and c remain in the body resulting in chronic disease. Hepatitis a and b have vaccines however, hep c does not. Hep c is a contagious virus that has a large spectrum of severity. It can last only a few weeks or can lead to a lifelong infection. It is contracted through the blood of an infected person, mainly through the sharing of contaminated needles. Hep c can be acute or chronic. Acute infection is a short term illness that happens within the first 6 months after contact with the virus. This acute infection generally leads to a long term chronic illness. This is when the hep c strain stays in the person body, dormant. Hep c can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The most common risk factor for liver cancer is chronic infection, people infected with hep b are 100 times more likely to develop liver cancer than an uninfected person due to the liver's constant state of inflammation, destruction, and attempted healing ("Hepatitis B and Primary Liver Caner"). Hep b can be spread through blood to blood contact, from an infected woman to her newborn during the delivery process, unprotected sex, and the use of unsterilized needles. The Greek word ecology translates directly into household, and it refers to the relationship between plants, animals, and the environment (McMichael). To understand how a disease establishes itself and survives one must not just look at each case individually but examine the disease within the scope of the host population. How does this disease effect a community? This disease effects communities immensely and often times is surrounded by a a lot of controversy. In many states as well as countries, cities have adopted the NASEN organization. NASEN is the acronym for North American Syringe Exchange Network. NASEN in other countries is known as a Needle & Syringe Programme or Syringe Exchange Programme. These programs offer safe and clean needle exchange to eliminate the risk of spreading infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis (“NASEN”). These non-profit organizations think of themselves as being health interventionists, while some make accusations that these programs are providing the addiction to the addict or that they are offering the drug without any risk, making it a flawless high. This disease causes a lot of disruption and negative attention to communities. This sometimes holds people and communities back instead of collectively moving forward to rid the epidemic. There are only vaccines for both A and B. Though a generally just runs its course and naturally rids itself from the body Hep B does not and needs medical attention. There is no cure for Hep c. There is a simple blood test that allows you to find out if you have been infected. There is an effective vaccine to protect against hepatitis b. For those who have already contracted the virus there are new treatments. The hep b vaccine was first called “anti-cancer vaccine” by the FDA, because of the prevention of chronic hep b infections results in the prevention of primary liver cancer due to hep b. The vaccine does not protect the liver against cancer due to hep c infections. Daily activity seems to be a constant battle for the body against many different ailments. Depending on our personal choices, environment, along with a variety of vaccinations and other factors we have a chance at fighting diseases like hepatitis. Although hepatitis a happens by chance, it is up to us, those who are not already infected, to take precautions not getting hepatitis b and c. There are only antibiotics for hep a. Once infected, there are only minimal vaccines and procedures that can be taken if caught earlier enough but the chances are unlikely. It is important for people to be aware at the severity of this disease and understand that there is no cure. Works Cited: "Centerfor Disease Control and Prevention." Hepatitis in African Americans. Division of Viral Hepatitis, 03 Mar 2013. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/populations/AACHepC.htm>. "Hepatitis B and Primary Liver Caner." Hepatitis B Foundation. Hepatitis B Foundation, 06 Mar 2014. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://hepb.org/index.html>. McMichael, Tony. Human Frontiers, environments and disease Past patterns, uncertain futures. University Press, Cambridge: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 2001. Print. "NASEN." North American Syringe Exchange Network. N.p., 03 Mar 2014. Web. 16 Mar 2014. <http://www.nasen.org/>.