18/12/2019
Introduction
Hepatitis B (Hep B) is an infection of your liver. It can cause scarring of the organ, liver failure, and cancer. It can be fatal if it isn’t treated. It’s spread when people come in contact with the blood, open sores, or body fluids of someone who has the hepatitis B virus. It’s serious, but if you get the disease as an adult, it shouldn’t last a long time. Your body fights it off within a few months, and you’re immune for the rest of your life. That means you can’t get it again. But if you get it at birth, it’ unlikely to go away.
Types of Hepatitis B
As leading researchers in hepatitis B care, doctors at Stanford have a unique appreciation for the progression of hepatitis B. Accurately determining which form you have helps us select the best treatment.
You may have acute or chronic hepatitis B, depending on how long HBV has been in your blood:
Acute hepatitis B: You have acute hepatitis B from the time you are first infected until six months afterward. Acute hepatitis B rarely causes liver damage.Chronic hepatitis B: Chronic hepatitis B happens when HBV is still in your blood six months after your initial exposure. Only a small number of people end up with chronic hepatitis B. However, this is a serious condition and can lead to chronic liver damage (cirrhosis).
Pathophysiology of Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B virus is constructed of an outer capsule containing HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen), an inner core containing HBcAg (HBV core antigen), and the HBeAg (hep B antigen).
As the blood becomes exposed to HBV, the body mounts a cell-mediated immune response by sending cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells to the virus and release inflammatory cytokines. The greater the immune response, the greater the chance of fighting the virus.

As the hepatocytes are attacked and infiltrated by the HBV, they appear to have a “ground glass” look under histological exam due to the HBsAg infiltrating the cell’s cytoplasm – this is a differentiator
