- What does it mean when I am a hepatitis B carrier?
- Is my liver being damaged all the time?
- Immune balance
- Who is at high risk for liver cancer?
- Does everyone with high HBVDNA viral load need treatment?
- Everyone with cirrhosis and ongoing high viral load should be treated
A hepatitis B carrier is someone who "carries" or is chronically infected with hepatitis B, usually for life. This happens when the immune system is not able to get rid of the virus within the first 6 months of infection. The immune system strikes a balance with the virus where there is some control over the virus while trying not to damage the liver.
We do not feel that there is such a thing as a "healthy carrier". All chronically infected people are at risk for complications of hepatitis B, although some are at higher risk than others. Long term liver damage can lead to scarring, which is called cirrhosis if it is extensive. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and also puts you at greater risk of developing liver cancer. About 1 in 3 chronic carriers will die of complications of hepatitis B infection. For those people with progressive damage, hepatitis B is bad and treatment is needed.