Theme | Question | Illustrative quotes |
---|---|---|
Part A. Asymptomatic nature of CHB | Do you know what symptoms CHB can give? If there are no symptoms, does this mean you are safe? | Since my HBV infection diagnosis 15 years ago, I have never bothered to see a doctor for it. I never had any symptoms and I have never felt sick except for common colds. If I have symptoms such as easy fatigue or persistent tiredness, I would probably seek a doctor to have a checkup. |
Part B. Chronic nature of CHB | Have you heard of active vs. inactive disease? What do you know about them? | Although I was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B more than 20 years ago, I never bothered to see a doctor for a checkup. I remember my doctor then telling me that I was a healthy carrier, and I naturally thought I would not have any serious outcomes from this infection. I understand that because my HBV infection is inactive, I don’t need to worry about transmission. It made me feel good since I would not endanger anyone. I remember my CHB was once active when I was first diagnosed, but then in a follow-up, my doctor told me that my infection became inactive subsequently and there was no need to treat it. Since then, I felt no further need to see a doctor for my HB infection. |
Is there a treatment for CHB? | I know there are medicine for CHB, but I don’t think they can cure CHB. So, I don’t consider them as treatment. Heard there is no cure. Don’t think it’s curable for now- Believe new tx will come out soon. I haven’t seen any ads for treatment of Hep B-- believe there is no tx for hep B. | |
Part C. Liver cancer and other complications | Do you know if chronic HBV infection can cause liver cancer and other complications? | If I’m lucky then nothing will happen, but If I am unluckyn, then it will cause other complications I know that CHB can cause liver cancer, but I always felt that it was very rare. I know alcohol drinking can cause bad liver disease. I am not an alcohol drinker, so I am not really worried about liver cancer. Some will develop liver cancer or liver cirrhosis. Never thought about it. I would say higher chance of getting complications. I think liver cancer can happen only to those who are very sick with CHB, with a lot of symptoms and active infection. |