Many people are often afraid to find out how long they can live with hepatitis B, especially when they are diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B. Although the rate of complete recovery from chronic hepatitis B is low, there are still treatments and monitoring to prevent liver damage and prolong the patient’s life.
Hepatitis B can occur acutely or chronically . In acute cases, hepatitis B only lasts for a short time, usually less than 6 months, and most will resolve on its own. However, when chronic hepatitis B occurs, meaning the HBV virus infection lasts a lifetime, the patient will have an increased risk of developing cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer . So, how long can a person with hepatitis B live?
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Along with other types of hepatitis such as A, C, D and E, the symptoms of the disease can also manifest differently in acute or chronic cases.
Acute hepatitis B can range from mild to severe, usually appearing about 1-6 months after being infected with the virus. Some cases may not show any symptoms . Chronic hepatitis B is mostly asymptomatic, some people only feel prolonged fatigue and some mild symptoms like acute hepatitis. Therefore, people with chronic hepatitis B often do not detect the disease until there are serious signs caused by liver disease .
How long can a person with hepatitis B live?
How long you can live with hepatitis B depends on whether it is acute or chronic.
The prognosis of hepatitis B depends on whether it is acute or chronic. In adults, if infected with hepatitis B, only about 15% will progress to chronic infection. If you only have an acute, temporary infection, your immune system is able to fight the HBV virus and recover on its own, and the possibility of death is very rare. A blood test will help determine whether you have eliminated the virus and become immune.
If the infection becomes chronic, hepatitis B will last for the rest of your life, putting you at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Chronic hepatitis B cannot be cured completely, but there are treatments to control the virus and protect your liver health.
Progression of hepatitis B:
- > 90% of children infected with hepatitis B develop chronic hepatitis B (in adults <5%)
- 5-10% of patients with chronic hepatitis B develop liver cancer (HCC)
- 20-30% of patients with chronic hepatitis B develop cirrhosis
- 23% of patients with compensated cirrhosis progress to decompensated cirrhosis.
- Death from acute hepatitis B is very rare.
- The mortality rate of chronic hepatitis B is about 15% and the risk of death is higher when the disease occurs in young children. The mortality rate increases with the complications of the disease.
The 5-year survival prognosis for patients with cirrhosis stages decreases from compensated to decompensated (with cirrhosis complications: ascites, jaundice, bleeding due to ruptured esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, coagulation disorders):
- Compensated cirrhosis (inactive hepatitis): 97%
- Compensated cirrhosis (active hepatitis): 72%
- Decompensated cirrhosis (inactive hepatitis): about 29%
- Decompensated cirrhosis (active hepatitis): survival < 5 years.
How long can you live with hepatitis B depends on the complications you encounter?
Chronic hepatitis B makes people susceptible to portal hypertension, cirrhosis and other complications or hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, patients need to monitor their condition regularly. How long people with hepatitis B live depends on the complications you encounter.
Complications that can occur in people with chronic hepatitis B are:
- Cirrhosis. Hepatitis B can cause widespread scar tissue ( cirrhosis ), reducing liver function .
- Liver cancer. People with chronic hepatitis B have a higherrisk of developing liver cancer .
- Liver failure. Acute liver failure is a condition in which the liver’s vital functions stop working. At this point, the patient needs a liver transplant to stay alive.
- Hepatitis B virus reactivation. People with chronic hepatitis B who take immunosuppressive drugs (such as corticosteroids, chemotherapy ) can stimulate hepatitis B virus reactivation, leading to more severe liver damage, even liver failure. Therefore, if you need to use the above treatments, talk to your doctor about your hepatitis B condition to find a safe solution.
- Develop other medical conditions. People with chronic hepatitis B may also develop kidney disease or inflammation of the blood vessels.
Therefore, predicting how long a person with hepatitis B can live depends on each specific case and needs to be comprehensively evaluated through many necessary tests .
How to prolong life?
After learning about the question “How long can you live with hepatitis B?”, you also need to know that if you pay attention to your liver health and control chronic hepatitis B well, you can absolutely live a long, full life. Try to follow the following:
- Have regular liver health check-ups, at least every 6 months or as advised by a specialist. You will have liver function tests performed to monitor your liver condition and detect abnormalities early, preventing complications.
- Consult your doctor before taking any dietary supplements, health foods or herbal medicines. Some substances can harm the liver or interact with medications you are taking and cause side effects.
- Eat a healthy diet to control your weight and avoid alcohol. Alcohol and being overweight can put extra strain on your liver.
Hepatitis B is completely preventable with a vaccine. The vaccine can protect you for up to 20 years if you get all three shots. To protect yourself and others, you should:
- Get vaccinated against hepatitis, such as hepatitis A and B.
- Children need to be fully vaccinated against hepatitis B (according to the expanded immunization schedule from birth, or as soon as possible).
