Risk Factors for Hepatitis B Virus and Other Hepatitis Viruses

Hepatitis is a slowly-developing inflammation of the liver tissue. There are five types of hepatitis (type A, B, C, D, and E). The infection can be acute and chronic, and every kind of hepatitis is a different type of virus. Types B and C are most likely to develop into chronic conditions.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report that about 3,000 people die each year due to complications caused by Hepatitis B only. According to WHO (World Health Organization), hepatitis B and C were responsible for about 1.34 million deaths in 2015 (worldwide). Chronic hepatitis develops slowly, and symptoms may not be noticeable until severe complications develop.

Risk Factors of Hepatitis B and Other Hepatitis Viruses

Groups that are at a higher risk of infection include:

  • People with multiple sex partners
  • Men who have sex with other men
  • People with kidney disease
  • People with chronic liver disease
  • People who use IV (intravenous) drugs
  • Healthcare workers
  • People traveling to countries with a high HBV infection incidence
  • People over 60 with diabetes

Hepatitis B is Contagious

The HBV infection can be passed from a mother to her infant during childbirth, as well as sharing needles with someone who has the virus or accidentally stuck by a needle (i.e., doctors, nurses, and lab technicians). However, casual contact is not how HBV virus is transmitted. It doesn’t spread through kissing, coughing, sneezing, or breastfeeding but only through contact with infected blood. The virus can survive for up to seven days outside the body, so even without symptoms, you are contagious after getting exposed to it.

Hepatitis B remains a foremost health issue despite the availability of an effective vaccine. What is of utmost priority is finding the key routes of HBV transmission (especially in endemic regions) because such efforts are essential as many infected patients are asymptomatic. The hepatitis vaccine is very safe and relatively inexpensive.

Other Hepatitis Risk Factors

Besides sexual contact or infected needle, hepatitis can transmit in different ways:

People at a higher risk of hepatitis A are military personnel, people handling primate animals that may be carrying the virus, institutional care workers, employees at daycare centers, and recipients of therapeutic blood products (i.e., hemophiliacs).

Hepatitis C can be transmitted through dialysis, snorting cocaine (sharing straws or other inhaling tools), or tattoos and body piercings (infected equipment). Typically, people share piercing or tattoo needles in prison.

Hepatitis D virus required hepatitis B virus to be able to replicate. Hepatitis D infection happens as a co-infection or superinfection with hepatitis B. About 5% of people with chronic hepatitis B infection are also infected with hepatitis D (which is about 15-20 million people worldwide). Since many countries don’t report the prevalence of hepatitis D virus, this is only a rough estimation.

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) occurs when people consume feces-contaminated food or drink. It mainly spreads through contaminated waters in places where the water quality is poor. The water may be contaminated with poor water control and quality, especially in highly populated areas. If a person eats undercooked meats (such as venison or pork) that carry the HEV or shellfish from polluted waters can be another hepatitis E risk factor.

Dental Assistants must know how to treat hepatitis-infected patients because they are among the high-risk group for hepatitis. Dental professionals play an essential role in the prevention of hepatitis with proper sterilization, infection control, and prophylactic vaccination protocols.

As a highly-regarded Californian institute, Dental Specialties Institute, Inc. provides the best education for Dental Assistants.