As someone who was recently diagnosed, I just came across a picture of a young woman in her 20s who had lost a lot of weight and had a swollen stomach. In her post, she was asking for help, and it was mentioned that she had developed cirrhosis due to Hepatitis B.
I have a few questions that I would really appreciate answers to:
How could someone so young develop cirrhosis? I read that cirrhosis usually happens after many years of Hep B infection.
Is it possible that she had Hep B but didn’t know until it got worse?
How can someone prevent or reduce the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer?
How to could I become socialable again. I was once an active out going person but everything has changed since my diagnosis. Mainly because I’m trying to not drinking alcohol and also avoid the questions of why suddenly I’m not drinking again with buddies that I would usually hang out with.
Lastly, how close are we to a functional cure? Will it became a reality?
Hi @Acool,
Great questions. You are right, cirrhosis takes time to develop, so it is possible she had no knowledge of her infection or knew but wasn’t able to do much until this point. It is sad as this happens more, but we don’t hear those stories. 20 years is enough time for someone to develop cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis and liver cancer can be reduced by proper HBV management, either taking antivirals, vaccination for someone not infected, and staying in care so doctors can act sooner when sudden changes occur.
There is no time frame for a functional cure, we remain hopeful. It can be 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years, we don’t know.
On being able to socialize, you can do that without drinking. You can tell your friends you are trying to cut out alcohol because you have recently learned about its dangers. You can have a glass of water or a non-alcoholic beverage as they drink. Or better still, you can share your status with them, it could be an educative moment for them to get tested. We don’t want them ending up like the lady you talked about. It all depends on how you feel and the situation. You could be saving a life.
I hope this is helpful. I understand it is not easy and simple, so one must find what works for their situation. Best, Bansah1
Everything is a probability. While there is a low probability for hep B to cause cirrhosis so quickly, sometimes it does happen. There are other additional drivers to liver damage that could accelerate this: alcohol, some supplements/herbal remedies, coinfection with other liver infections, fatty liver, overdosing on medications, etc.
Indeed it is possible that she had hep B and was unaware until cirrhosis, as we do know hep B can be asymptomatic until very late stages of liver disease.
The most effective way of reducing risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer is to be monitored over time by a professional health practitioner who knows about how to manage hepatitis B, and get treatment when indicated.
There are non-alcoholic options that you can consider and you could give a simple reason for wanting to look after you own health/lose weight. Or try meeting your friends in other venues where drinking is not the sole focus. Australia has a real drinking culture, but noone has ever given me a hard time for not drinking alcohol. Happy to hear from others how they have managed.
There are two ways of looking at this important question. We don’t know how close we are because that’s the nature of research. An unforeseen reaction can tank a promising candidate. The other way to look at it is that we have never been so close to a functional cure, there are many candidates in the pipeline. My feeling is that it will become a reality at some point, but exactly when is still up for debate.