Why is the liver function normal but the viral content high?

During routine liver function tests, if the liver function is normal but the virus content is relatively high, this is generally a symptom of being a chronic hepatitis B virus carrier. Currently, no drug treatment is required, but regular liver function tests and liver B-ultrasound examinations are required. In daily life, you must emphasize nutrition, quit smoking and drinking, avoid overwork, and avoid taking drugs that damage the liver.

Can hepatitis B virus carriers be contagious?

The only difference between a hepatitis B virus carrier and a hepatitis B virus patient is whether their liver has been invaded by the hepatitis B virus and whether their liver function is normal. Anyone who has come into contact with hepatitis B is contagious; the only difference is the degree of contagiousness. The level of infectiousness is determined by the amount of viral replication, not by whether the person is a patient or a virus carrier. In addition, both hepatitis B virus carriers and hepatitis B disease patients have active viral replication in their bodies, high viral load, and high infectiousness. The hepatitis B virus mainly exists in human blood, so its transmission routes are blood, mother-to-child, sexual intercourse, etc.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis B virus carriers?

After the hepatitis B virus infects the human body, if the body's resistance is strong, the immune function is normal, and the treatment is timely, the hepatitis B virus will be eliminated quickly and hepatitis B can be cured in the acute stage. However, once the hepatitis B virus is not cleared in time, it will become chronic and the virus will be carried for a long time. Examination will show positive hepatitis B antigen. This is what we call a hepatitis B virus carrier.

If the hepatitis B virus is active and replicates in liver cells, clinical symptoms may appear. Common symptoms include: feeling uncomfortable in the liver area, dull pain, general fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, aversion to oil, and diarrhea. Patients sometimes have a low fever, and severe patients may develop jaundice. At this time, they should go to the hospital for treatment in time. If treatment is delayed, a small number of patients will develop severe hepatitis, which is manifested by a sharp increase in liver damage until failure, accompanied by multiple organ damage such as renal failure. Patients will have persistently worsening jaundice, oliguria, anuria, ascites, confusion, delirium, and coma. Chronic hepatitis B disease will evolve along the direction of "hepatitis B - cirrhosis - liver cancer" over time, which is what we often call the "hepatitis B trilogy". Therefore, after contracting hepatitis B, treatment measures should be taken and regular physical examinations should be conducted.

Do hepatitis B virus carriers need treatment?

Regarding the question of whether hepatitis B virus carriers need treatment, Professor Shen Qiming, member of the National Hepatobiliary Disease Professional Committee and director of the Liver Disease Information Headquarters of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, believes that the first thing to emphasize is that people who are positive for Australia antigen (i.e., surface antigen) are now generally not considered healthy carriers, but should be called asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carriers. Anyone who is found to be Australia antigen positive during the physical examination should further undergo five hepatitis B tests (commonly known as "two pairs and a half") to determine the presence of the virus in the body. It is what people often call "big triple yang" and "small triple yang".

Of course, this is mainly to understand the virus's replication activity and infectiousness, but it cannot determine the severity of the disease. The main routes of transmission of hepatitis B virus are through blood, body fluids and vertical transmission from mother to child. The vast majority of hepatitis B virus carriers are not hepatitis B patients.

Except for a few special industries (such as food processing, childcare, etc.), these people can work and study normally and should not be treated unfairly. The main purpose of current hepatitis B treatment is to inhibit the replication and activity of the hepatitis B virus, improve symptoms, and prevent hepatitis B patients from developing liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Only a small number of patients can completely turn negative.