HEPATITIS B----PART 5---- PATHOLOGY OF THE HEPATITIS B--- When a person gets infected with the hepatitis B virus-----it goes to the liver cells especially, it likes to live in hepatocytes i.e. liver cells----here it replicates---produces more of the viruses----body reacts to it----macrophages of the liver e.g. kupffer cells come and start destroying the infected liver cells and ingesting the viruses-----then they cleave the viruses into various parts----these parts are called the antigens-----these are Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) from the outside wall of virus, Hepatitis B core antigens (HbcAg) & Hepatitis B early antigens (HbeAg) from the inside layers of the virus-----these antigens come into the blood stream at various stages of infection and thus can be detected at various levels. From the beginning of the infection up to the complete clearance of the infection body makes various antibodies in response to the antigens so that all the parts of the virus could be eaten and destroyed in the body. During the first 2 weeks--- --the level of HbsAg increases more than the HbcAg and HbeAg --but the antibodies i.e. IgM anti Hb core----against the HbcAg increase more --sometimes in first 2 weeks HbeAg increases very much…..it increases when there is very much increased infection and when there is very much increased replication of the viruses. So presence of HbeAg in early stages signifies a very fulminant infection. After about 2 weeks---- ---IgG anti Hb core antibodies are being produced and they are being maintained in the body for ever ---after about 3-4 weeks body starts to clear off HbsAg from the blood and the IgG anti Hb surface antibodies are being produced, this is the main antibody which is needed to completely clear the body of infection After 6 months--- In some 5% of the cases we can still detect HbsAg in the blood and when it happens it means that body is not being able to clear off the infection fully and some antigens are still present, so these persons are called chronic hepatitis carriers.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 11:20:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015