Sunday, February, 12, 2012

Hepatitis - Diagnosis

People at high risk for hepatitis A infection include:

  • International travelers. Hepatitis A is the hepatitis strain people are most likely to encounter in the course of international travel to developing countries.
  • Day care employees and children. Many cases of hepatitis A occur among day care employees and children who attend day care. Risks can be reduced if hygienic precautions are used, particularly when changing and handling diapers.
  • People living in a household with someone who has hepatitis A
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Users of illegal drugs

Hepatitis B

The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. Situations that can cause hepatitis B transmission include:

  • Sexual contact with an infected person (using a condom can help reduce risk)
  • Sharing needles and drug injection equipment
  • Sharing personal items, (such as toothbrushes, razors, and nail clippers), with an infected person
  • Having direct contact with blood of an infected person, through touching open wounds or needlesticks
  • During delivery, an infected mother can transmit the hepatitis B virus to her baby.

The CDC recommends routine testing for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection for the following high risk groups:

  • People born in regions with high rates of hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B is very common in Asian and Pacific Island countries. In the United States, 1 in 10 Asian Americans are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus. Other regions with high rates of HBV prevalence include Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South and Central America, and the Caribbean. US-born people not vaccinated as infants whose parents were born in these regions should also be screened for HBV.
  • People who use injected drugs or who share needles
  • Men who have sex with men
  • People receiving chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy for certain medical conditions including cancer, organ transplantation, or rheumatologic or gastoenterologic disorders
  • Donors of blood, organs, or semen
  • Hemodialysis patients
  • All pregnant women and infants born to mothers infected with HBV; pregnant women should be screened for HBV at their first neonatal visit
  • People who have sex with an infected person or who live in a household with an infected person
  • Health care workers and others exposed to blood products and needlestick devices.
  • People infected with HIV

Other people at high risk for hepatitis B virus infection include:


Review Date: 09/29/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, In-Depth Reports; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)