If you are suspected of having viral hepatitis, your doctor will order HbsAg and Anti-HBs tests. Through the test results will know exactly what the condition is and have an appropriate treatment regimen.
However, many people still do not fully understand what is HBsAg and Anti – HBs? How to conduct and test value like. Through this article will help you better understand hepatitis B tests.
What Is HBsAg?
HbsAg stands for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen. Is a determinant test to diagnose hepatitis B based on the surface antigen of the HBsAg virus. Found in the serum of the patient.
The HBsAg test includes qualitative testing to determine if the patient has hepatitis B (the status of the viral activity is unknown). And quantitative tests to determine the concentration of antigens in the patient’s body more or less. From this result, the doctor will have the monitoring and treatment according to the degree of disease.
How Much Hbsag Is Dangerous?
When performing an HBsAg test, there are 2 methods:
Positive fast test HBsAg will return either positive or negative. Do many people worry that the HBsAg Rapid Test is accurate? Actually, this method still has errors sometimes. Often used for rapid tests to help doctors diagnose and make different decisions. Maybe the patient will have to do more tests to confirm more accurately.
HbsAg test method on an automatic machine, usually the returned result will be a number. Many people, when reading the results, do not understand how dangerous the HBsAg index is? In fact, it is common for different chemical manufacturers to default to 1.0 SO or COI as the threshold value.
A positive result means an excess of> 1.0 COI or SO. Conversely, if the test result is lower than the threshold <1.0, it is considered negative.
How Do You Understand Hbsag Results?
HbsAg and Anti-HBs tests are two important tests to know if a patient has hepatitis B virus infection or not. However, there are differences in how to read positive and negative results. For the HbsAg results we can understand the following:
The result is HbsAg negative
This means that the patient is not infected with hepatitis B. However, if the doctor suspects that the patient has been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, to get the most accurate results, an additional Anti-HBc test is required to check. And monitoring the condition for a period of time, along with that the patient will be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
The result was positive for HBsAg
This indicates that the patient has an acute or chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Usually when infected with this virus will increase rapidly in a short period of about 10 weeks from the beginning of an infection.
At this point, doctors will have to do additional tests to find out the extent of liver damage and determine if this is chronic hepatitis B or not.
Although HBsAg tests can identify patients with hepatitis B, there are 2 cases:
Healthy body
In patients infected with hepatitis B virus, but a healthy body with strong resistance and immune system will be able to fight off the virus. After a period of 4-6 months, the virus will gradually decrease and disappear completely.
After the patient is completely cured, the patient will be permanently immune to the hepatitis B virus. However, it is necessary to re-examine every 6 months to monitor disease progress.
Poor health
In patients infected with the hepatitis B virus but with poor health and weak immune systems will not be able to fight off the hepatitis B virus, making the condition worse into chronic hepatitis B.
If the test result is still positive after 6 months, the patient has chronic hepatitis B disease. At this time, doctors will order patients to do more specialized tests such as HBV – DNA, HBeAg, HbeAb … to assess liver function and the degree of damage caused by the virus.
Even a negative HBsAg result should not be subjective. Because the viral DNA is still present in the human body, the patient is still at risk for cirrhosis, more severe than liver cancer.
What To Do When A HbsAg Is Positive?
When a patient returns a positive result, it means you have hepatitis B. It is certain that many people’s moods cannot avoid anxiety and confusion.
In fact, there are many patients who are infected with hepatitis B but still live healthy and normal lives. Therefore, you should understand the disease and keep the spirit for treatment.
It is essential to follow your doctor’s instructions. Additional tests may be required to determine the extent of the disease. From there, there is an appropriate treatment regimen. Need to take medicine according to instructions, follow-up periodically to monitor the progress of the disease.
Changing living habits in a positive direction is the right thing to do to help improve the condition. Increases the body’s resistance through the addition of nutritious foods. Regular exercise to improve health.
Limit the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and other stimulants. Always keep comfortable, do not overwork, and put pressure on yourself. The next disease needs a reasonable schedule, especially limiting staying up late and getting enough sleep.
Conscious to protect public health to avoid infecting others by not sharing personal items, and taking safety measures when having sex.
What Is Anti – Hbs?
What is Anti – HBs? Anti – HBs stands for hepatitis B surface antibody, which is an HBsAg antibody produced by the body against the hepatitis B virus. The Anti – HBs test will help doctors to accurately check immunity. epidemic hepatitis B virus in the body of a suspected infected person.
For the normal human body, Anti HBs antibodies are formed in 2 following cases:
Case 1: Although the patient has acute hepatitis B, the body is able to eliminate the virus and form antibodies. In these cases, the body will be completely immune to the hepatitis B virus and unable to infect.
Case 2: Those who have been fully vaccinated for hepatitis B or have had hepatitis B but recovered from the disease. At this time, the body will also form antibodies against the hepatitis B virus. However, there are also cases that although vaccinated, the body does not form antibodies.
What Is The Purpose Of Anti – Hbs Testing?
The purpose of the Anti – HBs test is to help doctors know if your body contains antibodies against the hepatitis B virus. Is it effective for people who have had the hepatitis B vaccine?
Anti-HBs concentration may decrease over time. If the Anti-HBs test is negative or the antibody levels are low, you may be given a new vaccine.
Read Anti Hbs Test Results
Through the determination of Anti – HBs, we will know whether the antibodies present in the human body are strong or weak. Not when the Anti – HBs antibodies are the body can fight off hepatitis B.
It must be based on strong antibodies and good immunity to not get infected. On the contrary, if the Anti-HBs antibodies are poorly functioning and the immune system is weak, we still have a very high risk of hepatitis B infection.
Quantitative Anti – HBs is divided into 3 levels as follows:
• If the amount of Anti – HBs in the body only stops at 0-10IU / ml, it means that the ability to protect the body from the virus is very low. This is an alarming condition, forcing the patient to be vaccinated so that the body has stronger antibodies against the disease.
• If the amount of Anti HBs in the body is at 10-100IU / ml, it shows that although there are antibodies in the body, it is very weak. To increase the antibody to the patient, the doctor will inject a booster vaccine.
• If the amount of Anti HBs in the body reaches 100-1000 UI / ml, this indicates a very large amount of antibodies in the body. This means that the body is able to fight off hepatitis B and is immune to the virus.
In a way that is easier to understand. When Anti HBs is positive, the body has formed hepatitis B antibodies. What about Anti-HBs negative? This means that in the test taker’s body there are absolutely no Anti-HBs antibodies to fight the risk of hepatitis B infection.
Hepatitis B Vaccine For Children
Children need to be fully vaccinated for hepatitis B to prevent hepatitis B and boost the immune system in the body to fight the virus. Parents need to pay attention to the child’s vaccination schedule to get enough shots to enhance the immune system.
Usually, the first shot is given within 48 hours of birth. At 1 month old, the second shot will be given. The third shot will be when the baby is 3 months old. Fourth nose when the child is 1 year old. And repeat the next nose after 8 years.
Thus, HBsAg and Anti-HBs are two common tests when a patient is suspected of having hepatitis B. From reading the test results, the patient has strong or weak hepatitis B virus antibodies. What is the degree of liver damage in the presence of hepatitis B?
From there, doctors will have a suitable treatment regimen such as a booster vaccine to enhance antibodies or for patients to use special medicines to control the disease and treat it.
The site cannot and does not contain medical advice. The medical information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals.