Carol Ware Duff  MSN, BA, RN: Hepatitis C virus can destroy your liver.

Hepatitis C Virus Can Cause Liver Failure

Becoming infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) creates a disease of the liver which can lead to a chronic infection and is now the leading cause of liver illness. Vaccines against hepatitis a and hepatitis B exist, but no vaccine is available for this form of hepatitis. 

For those who develop chronic hepatitis C, the chance of developing cirrhosis of the liver is between 20 percent and 30 percent within 20 to 30 years.  

Acute HCV infections have become rarer, but still occur and will eventually produce a chronic infection in between 70  and 80 percent of those who do become infected with the hepatitis C virus.  

While the United States has seen a decrease in cases of chronic HCV, up to 210 million people may be affected by HCV infection and HCV has become the leading cause of liver cancers in Europe.  According to the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), during the middle of the 1980s approximately 70 Americans out of every million of the population developed acute hepatitis C.  There has been a 90 percent decrease in cases of acute hepatitis C between the years of 1994 and 2006 with about seven new cases per million.  

According to the CDC, between 2007 and 2009 there has been an increase in hepatitis C cases in the 15 to 24 age group with the use of shared needles and a history of taking drugs through the nose.  While Massachusetts has been the first state to report this increase, there is a fear that this trend may be spreading to other states. 

How Can someone be Infected with HCV?

Hepatitis C can be spread by blood to blood contact which in developed countries may be through blood transfusions of unscreened blood or blood products (clotting factors, platelets, immunoglobulin, plasma, and Rhogam), although due to vigorous screening measures, there has been no documented transfusion-related case of hepatitis C in the U.S. for over ten years.  

Two other infection sources are shared needles during injected drug use or rarely through sexual exposure.  unlike the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV,) there must be opened sores (some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) produce sores which can bleed) or the ability of blood products to be passed directly to another person’s blood supply during sexual activity.  before the screening process for hepatitis C virus, there were cases of hepatitis C infection in those who received organ donations from an infected person. 

In developing countries the primary source of HCV infection is from unsterilized needles and inadequately screened blood and blood products but all the above mentioned conditions can also be a factor in the spread of HCV infection.

Occupational accidental blood exposure, due to blood spatter or accidental sticks from infected needles, can occur.  Contact sports can also result in blood to blood exposure.  Improperly sterilized dental and medical equipment may harbor the virus.  Needles and injection equipment, hemodialysis equipment,  jet air guns, and oral hygiene instruments can all be sources of virus exposure if they are not adequately sterilized. 

 Tattoos and body piercings can be a source of transmission of HCV if the instruments have been used on someone with HCV and have not been adequately sterilized. Personal items such as  razors, manicuring scissors, pedicure equipment, and toothbrushes and dental floss, cancer sores and cold sores may become contaminated with blood.  Any issue that produces bleeding can be the cause of spread of HCV from person to person. 

HCV can be passed from the mother to the neonate (vertical transmission) infrequently during the delivery process.  In mothers who are HCV RNA positive at the time of delivery the risk of transmission is six out of 100 deliveries and among women who are both HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and HCV positive during delivery the transmission will be approximately 25 out of 100. 

Approximately 60 percent of hepatitis C viral infection comes from injection drug use, 15 percent from sexual contact, 10 percent from blood transfusions before screening, 10 percent unknown, and 5 percent  from other ( contamination, hemodialysis, health care work and passed from mother to neaonate during the birth process).  

Acute and Chronic Hepatitis C

Acute hepatitis C refers to the first 6 months after infection with HCV although symptoms may appear within a day if infection was caused by any method of intravenous injection. Between 60% and 70% of people infected develop no symptoms during the acute phase unless infection was caused by direct access to the blood stream as crossing the blood brain barrier is then made up to 100 times easier. Main symptoms consist of general cold and flu like symptoms. In the minority of patients who experience acute phase symptoms, they are generally mild and nonspecific, and rarely lead to a specific diagnosis of hepatitis C. Symptoms of acute hepatitis C infection include decreased appetite, fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, itching, and flu-like symptoms.

The natural course of chronic hepatitis C varies considerably from one person to another. Although almost all people infected with HCV have evidence of inflammation on liver biopsy, the rate of progression of liver scarring (fibrosis) shows significant variability among individuals. accurate estimates of the risk over time are difficult to establish because of the limited time that tests for this virus have been available.

Recent data suggest that among untreated patients, roughly one-third progress to liver cirrhosis in less than 20 years. another third progress to cirrhosis within 30 years. the remainder of those infected with HCV appear to progress so slowly that they are unlikely to develop cirrhosis within their lifetimes.

Factors that have been reported to influence the rate of HCV disease progression include age (increasing age associated with more rapid progression), gender (males have more rapid disease progression than females), alcohol consumption (associated with an increased rate of disease progression), HIV co-infection (associated with a markedly increased rate of disease progression), and fatty liver (the presence of fat in liver cells has been associated with an increased rate of disease progression).

Symptoms specifically suggestive of liver disease are typically absent until substantial scarring of the liver has occurred. however, hepatitis C is a systemic disease and patients may experience a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from an absence of symptoms to a more symptomatic illness prior to the development of advanced liver disease. Generalized signs and symptoms associated with chronic hepatitis C include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, joint pains, itching, sleep disturbances, appetite changes, nausea, and depression.

Once chronic hepatitis C has progressed to cirrhosis, signs and symptoms may appear that are generally caused by either decreased liver function or increased pressure in the liver circulation, a condition known as portal hypertension. possible signs and symptoms of liver cirrhosis include ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdomen), bruising and bleeding tendency, varices (enlarged veins, especially in the stomach and esophagus which may unexpectedly rupture and cause uncontrolled bleeding), jaundice, and a syndrome of cognitive impairment known as hepatic encephalopathy.  Hepatic encephalopathy is due to the accumulation of ammonia and other substances normally cleared by a healthy liver.

What exactly is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is one of the five known hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, E) caused by the hepatitis C virus which infects the liver.  sometimes a person will have no outward symptoms of having this infection, but once the virus is firmly established in the body the infection can lead to liver scarring (fibrosis) and then to advance scarring (cirrhosis).  Cirrhosis may take many years to develop.   Eventually there can be liver failure which could lead to the need for a liver transplant and/ or to liver cancer.  the newly transplanted liver will then become subject to the hepatitis C virus if the virus is still active in a person. 

Medical history can be a key to suspected chronic hepatitis C infection.  Key factors would be history of IV drug use or inhaled substance use, a history of tattoos and/ or piercings, abnormal liver function tests and enzymes found during routine blood testing, unexplained symptoms, and infrequently during screenings for routine blood donation. 

Hepatitis C is passed from person to person through blood contact.  Acute hepatitis C denotes the first six months after infection.  Symptoms are those of the common cold and flu with a decreased appetite, feeling tired, abdominal pain, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), and itching.  Sixty to 70 percent of those infected will have no immediate symptoms unless the viral infection was caused by the direct entrance to the blood stream (sharing of needles with infected person).  the hepatitis C virus is usually detectable within one to three weeks after infection and antibodies will be present in the subsequent three to fifteen weeks after infection.  Many people exposed to the hepatitis C virus will be able to automatically rid themselves of the virus during this acute phase. 

Persistent infections are common and most of these patients develop chronic hepatitis C which by definition is the infection lasting more than six months.  Again, chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus may produce no symptoms for the patient, although it is the leading cause of liver disease in the United States.  the course of chronic infection can vary from person to person, but generally there will be an inflammation of the liver with eventual scarring.  the amount of and timing of the scarring is variable.  if left untreated, one third of those infected will develop cirrhosis of the liver in less time than twenty years and another one third will take thirty years to progress to full cirrhosis.  the remaining one third will develop cirrhosis so slowly that they will probably die before developing cirrhosis.   Increasing age, alcohol consumption, and fatty liver (presence of fat cells in the liver) have all been associated with the progression of the disease.   Symptoms of chronic infection may be joint pains, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, disturbances in sleep patterns, itching, depression, nausea, and alteration in appetite.

Chronic hepatitis C, which has progressed to cirrhosis, will present with the symptoms normally associated with liver disease.  These would be due to increased pressure in the liver circulatory system (portal hypertension)  and/or a decreased ability of the liver to function.  Signs of liver cirrhosis are jaundice, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen (ascites), increased bruising and bleeding, enlarged veins in the stomach and esophagus which are apt to bleed (possibly to the extent of causing death due to abrupt blood loss), and hepatic encephalopathy which is caused by the accumulation of byproducts (ammonia) of normal food usage, but accompanied by the inability of the liver to filter out these harmful byproducts. 

Co-infection with HCV and HIV occurs in approximately 35 percent of the patients in the U.S.  both diseases are blood- borne and can be present in related populations.   the addition of HCV in a person with HIV will generally cause a more rapid progression of chronic hepatitis C to cirrhosis and then to liver failure.  There are treatments for patients with both HIV and HCV infections. 

Treatments

The scope of this article does not deal with the specifics of drug treatments.  Your healthcare provider would be your best source of information on treatments.   Currently treatments with interferon (pegylated interferon alpha) and ribavirin (anti-viral)  are used, but there are ongoing studies and drug developments. 

References

Crax, Antonio.  Journal of Hepatology online February 28, jhep-elsevier.com/home.

Hendrik, Bill.  Signs of Rise in Hepatitis C Cases Among Young. Accessed on May 12, 2011.  medscape.com/viewarticle/742550

Loomba, R., M. M. Rivera, R. McBurney,  Y. Park; V. Haynes-Williams,  B. Rehermann; H. J. Alter,S. K. Herrine, T. J. Liang, J. H. Hoofnagle & T. Helle.  the Natural History of Acute Hepatitis C: Clinical Presentation, Laboratory Findings and Treatment Outcomes.  Posted: 05/05/2011; Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2011;33(5):559-565. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing

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Although the vaccine for hepatitis B is much popular, hepatitis A vaccine is also very important. Hepatitis A is a dangerous virus that causes a serious infection in the liver, which is referred to as hepatitis. So, it is very important to ensure that your teen is protected from this viral disease. this is only possible via the Hepatitis A vaccine. So, if you have any doubts in this regard, it is best to speak to a doctor or health care professional and get yourself clarified. In this article, we aim to answer or clear your maximum questions/doubts regarding the hepatitis A vaccine for teens.

About Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A reaches from one person to another via the oral and fecal ways. By this, we mean that if your teen is consuming something that is unhygienic due to the little amount of stool that is present in it along with the contained virus, your teen is at a high risk to get this disease. Now, this sounds pretty impossible and also gross, but it is possible if someone cooks the lunch that your teen is eating without washing the hands after leaving the restroom. Well, this is only an example and that the possibilities are many. Stating a real example, an epidemic of hepatitis A was seen in Pennsylvania in 2003 due to the serving of the contaminated green onions at a restaurant.

This disease is serious as it has taken away the lives of considerable amount of patients until now. as per a survey, nearly 1 out of every 3 people of all ages who are suffering from the disease needs to be hospitalized. So, how do you recognize hepatitis A? certainly, it is via its symptoms that it instills in the affected person. So, if someone is having hepatitis A might show off a myriad of symptoms like stomach pain, flu-like illness, jaundice in which the skin turns out to be yellow, and diarrhea. obviously, these symptoms are due to the Hepatitis A virus that has already entered the bloodstream.

The above facts are actually the main reasons why your teen should take the Hepatitis A vaccine.

The function of Hepatitis A vaccine

Similar to the other vaccines, the Hepatitis A vaccine safeguards an individual from the deadly virus causing hepatitis, a critical liver infection.

Eligible people for the vaccine

This vaccine is only meant for those individuals who belong to the age group of 12 months to 18 years.

Ineligible people for the vaccine

Kindly note that this vaccine is composed of alum and 2-phenoxyethanol. Therefore, if the teen is allergic or sensitive to these ingredients, ensure that your health care provider knows about it. Further, if she or he is seriously allergic to the vaccine, then completely avoid it. A critical allergy means that your teen feels difficult to breathing, has swelling in throat, feels weak or dizzy, and experiences a quick heart beat.

Brand names for vaccine

To prevent Hepatitis of the liver via the Hepatitis A virus, two hepatitis A vaccine brands are available. These are namely, Vaqta and Havrix, both of which are inactivated. By the latter term, we mean that both the vaccines contain the viruses, but they are dead and so no longer can trigger the disease or its symptoms. So, why they are included in the vaccine? they are included in the vaccine to facilitate the body to generate antibodies for combating the live virus, if it enters hence forth.

The prevention by the vaccine

Two shots of this vaccine are given to those who need it. while in children one is given after 1 year old visit and the next after an interval of 12 to 18) months, in teens; the vaccine is given directly at the office of a healthcare provider. however, the dose is dependent on the brand that is in use.Common after effects

As a matter of fact, the hepatitis A vaccine induces a few after effects. this is something that each parent should know and discuss with the doctor before taking the teen to get this vaccine. Listed below are the after effects of the hepatitis A vaccine.

• Headache
• Tiredness
• Soreness at the site of injection
• Loss of appetite

Well, these are okay to bear rather than tolerating the symptoms of hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B is the inflammation, swelling and irritation of the liver because of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). a lot of people who have persistent hepatitis B encompass little to no signs and symptoms; as they may not even appear sick. as an effect, they might not discern they are infected. on the other hand, they can still multiply the virus can spread to other people.Symptoms may not emerge for up to six months following the point of infection. Early symptoms may consist of loss of appetite, fatigue, low-grade fever, joint and muscle aches, nausea and vomiting, yellow skin and dark urine because of jaundice. People having chronic hepatitis may show no symptoms, although continuing liver damage may take place. They may acquire some or all of the signs and symptoms of acute hepatitis.the HBV spreads and be transmitted via blood, vaginal fluids, semen, and other body fluids. Infection can happen if you have undergone blood transfusions, blood contact in health care settings, had direct contact with the blood of an infected person by touching an open wound or being pricked with a needle, had unguarded sex with an infected person, received a tattoo or acupuncture with contaminated devices, shared needles during drug use, and shared personal items like toothbrushes, nail clippers, and razors with an infected person. Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted to an infant during childbirth if the mother also has the virus. Additional risk factors for hepatitis B infection includes being born or having parents who were born in areas with high infection rates like in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean; having manifold sex partners; men engaging in sex with other men; undergoing hemodialysis; and when infected with HIV.Hepatitis B infection may either be acute or chronic. Acute hepatitis B is a three to six month period after being infected. on the other hand, chronic hepatitis B is when the hepatitis B virus relics in a person’s body for so long. These people are recognized to be the carriers of the hepatitis B virus, even though they do not present any symptoms. the majority of the damage from the hepatitis B is caused by the body’s reaction to the infection. If the body’s immune system perceives the infection, it gives out particular cells to battle it off. Nevertheless, these infection-fighting cells may lead to liver inflammation.There are tests that are made to spot and observe liver damage due to hepatitis B, such as liver function tests, albumin level, and prothrombin time. and there are tests done to help in diagnosing the infection like the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), in which the positive result indicates having active infection. Also, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (Anti-HBc) in which positive result shows you had current infection or have a history of the infection. another is antibody to HBsAg (Anti-HBs) wherein positive result indicates you either have had hepatitis B before or have received hepatitis B vaccination. most of these hepatitis tests are available at various STD clinics and can be taken by anyone who thinks that they have the illness. This is the easiest and most accurate way to detect the disease.

wht are the symptoms of disease eg:1,tuber culosis,measles,chicken pox, polio,cholera,typhoid, hepatitis b,maleria

Google is at your hands. Use it.

1 tuberculosis :Fever at night, cough, blood in cough etc
2 Measles : Fever, red rash all over the body
3 chicken pox: red spots generally turning to yellow, fever
4 polio : weak bones generally dis figured bones
5 Cholera :vomit and diarrhea, dehydration lack of water in body
6 Typhoid: high fever,sweating, diarrhea
7 Hepatitis b:loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, body aches, mild fever, dark urine, and then progresses to development of jaundice.
8 Maleria:fever, shivering, arthralgia (joint pain), vomiting, anemia (caused by hemolysis), hemoglobinuria, and convulsions.

The Pursuing Blog Post is from associated Content and brought to customers by std testing centers

If you have had unprotected sex, you are at risk for contracting a sexually transmitted disease. The CDC reports that sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, infect 19 million new people every year in the United States. with such a staggering number of new STD infections each year, safe sex practices and proper STD screening are essential to protect yourself and others.

A new phenomena on the web are at-home STD tests. They are boasted for offering accurate tests in the privacy of your own home. but are these tests all they are cracked up to be? Don’t spend your money until you have weighed all your options.

At-Home STD Tests AvailableYou can find an at-home STD test for almost any type of STD. I found tests for:

• HIV
• Chlamydia
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis B/C
• Genital Herpes

But wait! Just because the tests are available and can be found online does not mean that they are safe and accurate. Most at-home STD tests have not been tested or approved by the FDA. Always check with the FDA before purchasing any product that claims to test for a medical condition.

FDA Approved At-Home STD TestsAfter much digging, I have been able to find 3 FDA approved at-home STD tests. there may be other FDA approved at-home tests, so make sure to check with the FDA for any product that you are considering for purchase. The tests available are:

Oraquick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody – $34.95 – results in 20 minutes, 99.6% accurate

Home Access HIV-1 Test system – $44.00 – sample mailed to company, results in 1 week, 99.9% accurate

Home Access Hepatitis C Check – $59.95 – sample mailed to company, results in 10 days, 99% accurate

At-Home STD Test ScamsThe FDA has warned consumers not to use unapproved home-use diagnostic test kits. You can read their warning here. The warning names Globus Media as one distributor of unapproved at-home diagnostic tests; HIV and Syphilis tests are among those distributed. Be particularly cautious when ordering and watch out for scams.

Protect YourselfSafe sex will help you avoid any need for an at-home STD test. Protecting yourself from sexually transmitted disease is easier than it may sound. The CDC advises that you do the following four things to reduce your risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease:

• Abstain from sex and reduce the number of sex partners you are exposed to.
• Use condoms consistently and make sure to use them correctly.
• Screen yourself for sexually transmitted disease.
• Immunize yourself. Hepatitis B and HPV vaccinations are currently available.

“Complete List of Donor Screening Assays for Infectious Agents and HIV Diagnostic Assays.” FDA“FDA Warning – Unapproved Home-use Diagnostic Test Kits.” FDA“Oraquick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test questions and Answers.” FDA“Testing Yourself for HIV-1 questions and Answers.” FDA“The Home Access HIV-1 Test system.” Home Access“The Home Access Hepatitis C.” Home Access“April is STD Awareness Month.” CDC“Oraquick.” Home Bio Test

Be certain to visitstd testing centers at the main site!

Roberto Adams is | Topic: Uncategorized | Tags: sexually transmitted disease, STD

Inflammation of the liver is a disorder that is also called hepatitis.

There are a number of different forms of liver inflammation. Liver inflammation caused by a virus, therefore called a viral infection, is the kind that happens most often. Viral infections may be acute, or they may be chronic. Viral forms of hepatitis are commonly known by alphabetical names like hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, etc. These names are often abbreviated HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV and HEV HFV and HGV.

Hepatitis B and C can be exceptionally hazardous, possibly resulting in serious, even critical diseases such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Alcohol is another cause of liver swelling. Overuse of alcohol over a period of years will eventually result in inflammation, which could lead to cirrhosis. Alcoholic hepatitis is three times as common as hepatitis C.

Liver inflammation can also be caused by a variety of chemicals and drugs. there are a number of chemicals and drugs that can lead to an inflamed liver too. This even includes legal drugs, like pain medications, which can be overused or improperly used. the amount of inflammation caused by drugs and chemicals depends on what was used, how long it was used, and how much was used. the general state of health of the user is also important. that said, it should be noted that recreational and illegal drugs can be extremely dangerous, even when used in small amounts for a relatively short time.

There are also a number of diseases and disorders that result in liver inflammation. Some of these are related to liver function, but others are not. two of the most common disorders are hemachromatosis (an excess accumulation of iron) and Wilson’s disease (characterized by an accumulation of copper). An inflamed liver can also result from autoimmune disorders, yellow fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Symptoms of an inflamed liver vary depending on the cause. But generally speaking, four symptoms are predictable.

Jaundice is characterized by yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. many people call this disorder “yellow jaundice” for this reason, although use of the word yellow is redundant.

Lowered appetite is another telltale sign of inflammation of the liver. This also causes someone with inflammation of the liver to lose weight because they don’t eat enough. this sign is particularly noticeable with forms of acute hepatitis. there are also likely to be episodes of nausea and vomiting sometime after this.

Deep chronic fatigue is another one of the symptoms of inflammation of the liver. When you think about it, this makes sense because your liver contributes to your metabolism. If your liver is compromised by inflammation, your energy levels are bound to drop. It’s also very common to feel waek and listless.

Tenderness and soreness in the joints and muscles are also characteristic of inflammation of the liver. It could go on for several weeks.

Hepatitis can cause pain in a variety of ways. In addition to muscle and joint pain, mentioned above, there could pain in liver area, and soreness or tenderness in the right shoulder. the level of this pain varies with the cause and how far the inflammation has advanced.

Happily, there is no treatment necessary for acute viral hepatitis, because it usually heals itself with time. Certain medications and antivirals may be useful for hepatitis B and C. These include and ribavirin and interferon. Corticisteroids are often prescribed for patients with forms of autoimmune hepatitis.

Anyone who has inflammation of the liver should not drink alcohol and should also avoid taking any drugs, medications or pain relievers without consulting a doctor.

For more information on this and related topics, click on signs of liver inflammation and what are the causes of liver pain.

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A Fun Fact… Powered by WPFacts

1. Alcoholic Hepatitis And Its Risk To Your Liver
2. What are the Dangers of Enlarged Liver
3. How Worried should you Be about Liver Pain?
4. What Liver Conditions cause Liver Enlargement?
5. Stomach Discomfort from Liver Pain

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Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) announced today that BARACLUDE® (entecavir) has been approved by the European Commission on February 28th 2011 to treat chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in adult patients with evidence of decompensated liver disease.

Paris (PRWEB) March 7, 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) announced today that BARACLUDE® (entecavir) has been approved by the European Commission on February 28th 2011 to treat chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in adult patients with evidence of decompensated liver disease.

BARACLUDE® was already approved in Europe in June 2006 for use in adult patients with CHB with compensated liver disease and evidence of active viral replication, persistently elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and histological evidence of active inflammation and/or fibrosis.

This approval grants BARACLUDE® marketing authorisation in the 27 countries of the European Union. in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the decompensated indication for BARACLUDE® in October 2010.

Decompensated liver disease is characterised by failure of the liver to maintain adequate function, usually due to severe scarring, leading to fibrosis and/or cirrhosis caused by chronic liver inflammation.¹ it represents the end stage of hepatitis. Natural history data demonstrate that up to 40% of patients with CHB develop cirrhosis over their lifetimes, at a reported rate of 2-6% per year. Among CHB patients with cirrhosis, 3-5% per year progress to decompensated cirrhosis and 2-5% develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).²,³ Currently, the median survival rate in decompensated patients is two to three years, with only 28% of patients surviving for more than five years.¹,⁴

Once liver disease progresses to the decompenstated stage, a liver transplant is often necessary.

“The approval of this additional indication is an important milestone for CHB patients living with decompensated liver disease, a difficult to treat population whose mortality rates are high,” said Professor Jorg Petersen. “The data used to support this indication shows that BARACLUDE® is efficacious in treating decompensated patients.”

This approval is based on a randomised, open-label, multi-centre study (ETV-048) that compared the efficacy & safety of BARACLUDE® (1.0 mg once daily) with adefovir (10.0 mg once daily) administered in patients with HBeAg positive or negative CHB who had evidence of liver decompensation.

Data demonstrated that BARACLUDE® showed greater viral suppression compared to adefovir at 24 and 48 weeks following treatment initiation. At 48 weeks, 57% (57/100) of patients treated with BARACLUDE® achieved an undetectable viral load (d300 copies/ml) compared to 20% (18/91) of patients on adefovir.

ETV-048 Study ResultsThe 048 study evaluated 191 patients who were either HBeAG-positive or HBeAG-negative. Patients were either treatment-naïve or had been previously treated excluding pre-treatment with BARACLUDE®, adefovir or tenofovir.

Patients were randomised to receive BARACLUDE® (1.0 mg once daily) or adefovir (10.0 mg once daily) and were analysed through 48 weeks.

Baseline demographics were similar for both groups. Importantly, at baseline, patients had a mean CPT (child-pugh score) of 8.81 in the BARACLUDE® arm and 8.35 in the adefovir arm, and the mean MELD (Model for end stage Liver Disease) score was 17.1 and 15.3, respectively. both of these parameters measure the severity of hepatic decompensation.

The mean age of the study population was 52 years and the majority of the subjects were male (74%) and either Asian (54%) or Caucasian (33%).⁵

In the primary efficacy endpoint of mean change from baseline in serum HBV DNA at Week 24, BARACLUDE® was superior to adefovir (-4.48 versus -3.40; p < 0.0001).

Secondary efficacy endpoints included mean change from baseline in serum HBV DNA at Week 48 (-4.66 in the BARACLUDE® arm and -3.90 in the adefovir arm). in addition a greater proportion of patients on BARACLUDE® achieved an undetectable viral load compared to patients on adefovir at 48 weeks: 57% (57/100) versus 20% (18/91), respectively. Also patients on the BARACLUDE® arm decreased their MELD score from baseline by -2.6% versus -1.7% in the adefovir arm at Week 48, even though baseline MELD score had been higher with 17.1 for BARACLUDE® than 15.3 for adefovir. Further the normalization of ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase enzyme) was achieved to a higher proportion in the BARACLUDE®-treated patients (d1 x Upper Limit of Normal) at Week 48 [63% (49/78)] compared with adefovir-treated patients [46% (33/71)].

The time to onset of HCC or death was comparable in the two treatment groups; on-study cumulative death rates were 23% (23/102) and 33% (29/89) for patients treated with BARACLUDE® and adefovir, respectively; and on-study cumulative rates of HCC were 12% (12/102) and 20% (18/89) for BARACLUDE® and adefovir, respectively.

BARACLUDE® was generally well tolerated and safety results were comparable between the treatment groups and consistent with those previously reported for a population with decompensated liver disease. Serious adverse events occurred in 69% of the BARACLUDE® patients and 66% of the adefovirpatientsand discontinuations due to adverse events occurred in 7% of the Baraclude patients and 6 % of the adefovir patients.⁵

Important Information About BARACLUDE®

Discovered at Bristol-Myers Squibb, BARACLUDE® is indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in adults with:

• Compensated liver disease and evidence of active viral replication, persistently elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and histological evidence of active inflammation and/or fibrosis.
• Decompensated liver disease.

a higher rate of serious hepatic adverse events (regardless of causality) has been observed in patients with decompensated liver disease, in particular in those with Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class C disease, compared with rates in patients with compensated liver function. in addition, patients with decompensated liver disease may be at higher risk for lactic acidosis and specific renal adverse events such as hepatorenal syndrome. Clinical and laboratory parameters should be closely monitored in this patient population.

*For full prescribing information for BARACLUDE®, please consult the Summary of Product Characteristics.

About Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB)Chronic hepatitis B is a serious global health issue. Worldwide, more than 2 billion people have been in contact with the hepatitis B virus and approximately 350 million people are chronically infected.⁶

About Decompensated Liver DiseaseDecompensated liver disease is characterised by failure of the liver to maintain adequate function, often due to severe scarring leading to fibrosis and/or cirrhosis caused by chronic liver inflammation.¹ Symptoms of liver decompensation can include but are not limited to: jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), ascites (swollen abdomen from abnormal accumulation of fluid), oesophageal varices (distorted blood vessels that may cause potentially fatal bleeding), and hepatic encephalopathy (neuropsychiatric abnormality resulting in personality changes, intellectual impairment and reduced levels of consciousness).¹

About Bristol-Myers SquibbBristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and delivering innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

BARACLUDE® (entecavir) is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Contact:Media: Annie Simond, office: +33 1 58 83 65 66, annie(dot)simond(at)bms(dot)com

References¹ D’Amico G, Garcia-Tsao G, Pagliaro L. Natural history and prognostic indicators of survival in cirrhosis: a systematic review of 118 studies. J. Hepatol. 2006; 44: 217–31. ² Chu C-M and Liaw Y-F. Hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis: Natural history and treatment. Seminars in Liver Disease 2006;26(2):142-152.³ Fattovich G, Stroffolini T, Zagni I, Donato F. Hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis: Incidence and risk factors. Gastroenterology 2004;127(5 Suppl 1):S35-S50.⁴ Fattovich G, Pantalena M, Zagni I et al. Effect of hepatitis B and C virus infections on the natural history of compensated cirrhosis: a cohort study of 297 patients. am. J. Gastroenterol. 2002; 97: 2886–95.⁵ Y. Liaw, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Entecavir versus Adefovir in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Evidence of Hepatic Decompensation. Abstract and Poster 442. AASLD 2009.⁶ World Helath Organization Web site. Fact sheet N• 204. who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/. Accessed 3 December 2010.

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Annie SimondBristol-Myers Squibb+33 1 58 83 65 66Email Information

What is Hepatitis B ?Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease. Hepatitis B is the most common liver infection in the world. in all over world about 350 million people are suffering from hepatitis B virus, of whom, more than 250,000 die from liver-related disease each year. The liver can become inflamed as a result of infection. Hepatitis B is caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis stops right working of your liver and it also makes your liver swollen. Mostly people do not know that they are suffering from Hepatitis B because it does not have any special kind of symptoms. The common symptoms of Hepatitis B are vomiting, jaundice, dehydration, headache, dark yellow colored urine, yellowish eyes and skin, abdominal pain etc.Causes of Hepatitis B:Virus is the main cause of Hepatitis BThe hepatitis B virus is the main cause of Hepatitis B. virus can get transferred from one person to another. The hepatitis B virus is transmitted from one person to another via blood so this virus is also called blood-borne virus.How hepatitis B virus gets transmitted in to the human body? Living with the people who are suffering from Hepatitis B Having sex with an infected person without using a condom If you share the drug needles with any infected person Men or women who have multiple sex partners, especially if they do not use a condom By use of infected person’s toothbrush, razor, or anything else that could have blood on it. If tattooing or body piercing tools are not being clean. a person who go from dialysis and involve in kidney disease. New born child get it for his infected mother. Methods to Prevent Yourself for Hepatitis B:Hepatitis B can be prevented either before or right after exposure to the virus. to prevent yourself from Hepatitis B, keep in mind those following point: Use condom if your partner is infected by hepatitis B virus Avoid the contact with blood and other body fluids with the infected persons Do not reuse used needles. Do cover all open cuts and sores. Pregnant women’s should screen her for hepatitis B virus infection. to prevent disease before exposure, hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all infants, all 11-12 years-old The infected person must not share razors, toothbrushes, needles, or any other object that may have become polluted with blood.

Incoming search terms:how does hepatitis b get transfered

How long does it take to show symptoms of Hepatitis B after you've been infected with the disease?

Its called the Incubation Period
and It varies from 2 to 6 months in Hepatitis B