Hepatitis Flashcard

C. Rationale: Healthcare facilities often require and always recommend the hepatitis B vaccine to their employees. In the US, infants receive the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The full vaccine course should provide lifelong protection. Adults who did not receive it as infants can still be safely immunized.

B. Rationale: The most common sequelae of acute hepatitis B infection is recovery. Only about 5% of patients will have continued replication of the hepatitis B virus over the years. If this happens, this person is a carrier and will eventually be diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B infection.

B. Rationale: Out of all the viruses listed, only the hepatitis B virus is a bloodborne pathogen for which there is a vaccine. An HIV vaccine is currently undergoing clinical trials and is not yet available for mass consumption. Likewise, a potential hepatitis C vaccine is also unavailable for mass vaccination. A vaccine is available for hepatitis A but it is not a bloodborne pathogen.

D. Rationale: Patients recommended to be tested for infection with hepatitis C virus are those with a history of intravenous drug abuse, individuals with liver disease, or those born between 1945 and 1965.

A. Rationale: Another form of infectivity of HBV, though rare, is through blood transfusion and organ transplantation. Due to the stringent screening of blood products and organ tissues for donation, infection with HBV and other bloodborne pathogens through this route is minimized significantly.

B. Rationale: While patients can experience fatigue, loss of appetite, and show signs and symptoms of liver inflammation, the most common early symptom of chronic hepatitis B is fatigue. These patients have a risk of developing liver complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

D. Rationale: The symptoms of a hepatitis B infection can vary from person to person. Patients can develop generalized flu-like symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, fatigue, decreased appetite, nausea, and more definitive findings such as jaundice, ascites, and confusion.

C. Rationale: The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne pathogen and is transmitted through the blood or other bodily fluids to a healthy individual through breaks in the skin or exposure to the mucosa of the nose, mouth, and even the sclera of the eye. Vaginal secretions and semen can carry a significant viral load for transmission through sexual intercourse.

D. Rationale: Transmission of hepatitis B infection to a healthy person does not occur by hugging, kissing, sharing utensils or glasses, sneezing, coughing, or breastfeeding. A break in the skin or sexual intercourse can transmit the hepatitis B virus through contaminated blood or bodily fluid.