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The Hepatitis B Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and helping to improve the lives of those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Visit www.hepb.org
Liver Cancer Connect, a dedicated program of the Hepatitis B Foundation, provides patient-focused information on primary liver cancer. Visit www.livercancerconnect.org.
I have been taking entecavir to control my Hepatitis B for few years. This is very expensive medicine and the doctor told me that I have to take this in my rest of life. It will be very bad if I lost my job and there will be no insurance to cover this expensive medication. I hope that someone could find the new medication to cure Hepatitis B in the near future.
We all hope so. There are a few new drugs currently in research, but I cannot say when a safe and effective drug will emerge that will cure hepatitis B. I do understand your concern with taking a medication for years and even for life. It can be very worrisome.
Your concerns are understandable. Entecavir is a very good medication for controlling the HBV viral load, but it does not result in a complete cure. Hopefully sometime in the near future there will be a complete cure for all of those living with chronic hepatitis B.
Very glad to hear of your successful liver resection. it is very important you continue to be monitored by your hepatologist and your oncologist. Recent studies show the use of antivirals help prevent reoccurrence. Please note the link: http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hepatitis-b/hepatitis-b-topics/hbv-treatment/3871-aasld-2012-nucleoside-analogs-reduce-liver-cancer-risk-for-people-with-hepatitis-b-but-cirrhosis-remains-a-concern You will want to discuss this with your specialists. Please refer to HBF’s new website for those dealing with liver cancer at http://www.livercancerconnect.org. There is also a facebook page with daily updated information available at http://www.facebook.com/livercancerconnect .
If your HBsAg is reactive, it means that at the time of your blood test you were positive for hepatitis B. You need to followup and determine if you have an acute or new infection or a chronic infection. A chronic infection is diagnosed when the patient tests HBsAg+ for more than 6 months. The e antigen or HBeAg is another HBV marker that gives an idea of how infectious the person may be and the amount of virus replicating in the body. This can be useful along with an HBV DNA viral load test if it is determined that you have chronic HBV.