Hepatitis B, or HBV, is a viral infection of the liver by the Hepatitis Virus. Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease that is spread through contaminated blood, semen or vaginal secretions. Even so, it is possible for an infant to contract HBV through contact with the infected mother's blood, or contaminated breast milk. Infants do exhibit signs and symptoms of Hepatitis B infection.
Fatigue
Infants may appear fatigued. However, symptoms of Hepatitis B usually appear 12 weeks after initial infection. After 10 to 12 weeks of age, a healthy infant will experience an increase in wakefulness and start to require less sleep. A baby who is infected with HBV will just begin to feel symptoms at this age, and will remain listless and fatigued.
Lack of Appetite
Unlike a healthy baby, an HBV infected infant will not want to eat. The baby infected with Hepatitis B will show more interest in sleeping than in eating. If the baby will not eat, it is important to have the infant hospitalized to prevent dehydration.
Jaundice
Jaundice due to low bilirubin levels in non-infected infants clears up within a week. A baby infected with Hepatitis B will develop jaundice suddenly at the age of two to four months of age. Jaundice presents as a yellow tint to the skin and whites of the eyes.
Dark Urine
The urine of a newborn is usually clear since the baby's diet is only formula or breast milk and water. Dark urine is a sign of impaired liver function that can be caused by HBV.
Treatment and Prevention
Infants born to HBV infected mothers are immediately given an HBV vaccination along with a shot of HBV immune globulin in hopes that the disease will not develop at all. This is followed by three more injections over three months to complete the HBV vaccination series.
Medications used to treat an active case of acute Hepatitis B include: interferon, a chemical produced by the human body to combat certain diseases including HBV; and antivirals, such as Tryzeka, Beraclude and Hepsera that all prevent the Hepatitis virus from replicating in the infants body. A liver transplant is a last resort operation reserved for livers that are severely damaged by HBV. Luckily, most infants are diagnosed early enough that this is rarely necessary.
All members of the family should wash their hands frequently to prevent spreading the virus. Diapers should be thrown away in a red hazmat bag to protect the community.
Prognosis
An unfortunate result of untreated HBV is cirrhosis of the liver. However, according to an Italian study performed by the University of Padua, most infants who are treated immediately will go into full HBV remission within five years. The virus will remain dormant, and may resurface later, so medical follow up is a must.
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