johardue

@Mr. Bukol,

Actually, the main concern for hepatitis B transmission in the workplace is among people in the medical field - nurses, med techs, even doctors. Those who have direct patient contact and those who handle body fluids and similar materials.

Those in the food handling jobs actually do not pose any significant danger of transmitting the infection to others. (Unless may freak accident)

Hepatitis B transmissions like HIV is through exchange of body fluids - sex, blood transfusion, needle-stick, childbirth, etc.

Unfortunately, not everyone understand this. A lot of companies are using HBsAg positivity as a screen out applicants. The local gastro group (Philippine Society of Gastroenterology) has actually issued a position paper regarding the issue and is trying to disseminate the information that people get educated and enlightened about Hepatitis B.

@vek

According to the latest guidelines or consensus statements, there is really no such thing as a "healthy carrier".

But in the interest of the "general population" this term has been used to describe someone who has the virus in his body (HBsAg reactive) but does not have symptoms and is not infectious meaning can not transmit it to another person.

Being a so called "healthy carrier" as determined by a single set of examination does not guarantee that you would not develop problems later on. Hepatitis B infection may be "dynamic" meaning it may be "dormant" at one time only to reactivate at another.

And so if a person is initially diagnosed to be a "healthy carrier", he is not out of the woods yet and has to undergo monitoring of at least the liver enzymes (SGOT/SGPT) periodicaly. This is to be able to catch it early if your infection is getting active.

Doctors of MTC, i have a question about gastro, nutrition, and weightloss..

 

Un bestfriend ko na girl has had a this problem since we were back in college, she sometimes can't eat, and her upper abdomen hurts. I can't really describe this situation but it just happened suddenly to her long way back. And after awhile she got used to it, and gave up on getting a cure. She went to around more than 10 different doctors in different fields already, from gastro, to internal med and such. She even got this tube put down her throath.. Can't remember the proccess's name.. And everything the doctors were speculating turned out wrong. Like its a new condition or something. In the end we gave up on diagnosing it.

 

Anyway, I'm really worried about her health.. Its been almost 10 years already since she's been having this..

 

My question would be that my friend eats a lot everyday, she eats breakfast with 2 cups of rice, lunch with 3, and dinner with 3 i think. She's also a monster when it comes to buffets.. But this past 2 years, she's been steadily loosing weight even though she eats like that everyday. Back then when we were in college she still had meat, and now she's thin as a bone. And she's still getting thinner.. Is this weigthloss related with her diet? She doesnt' eat fatty and overly oily foods naman, though a lot of sweets (ie. cakes, cookies, etc). How about worms? Possible kaya? But her stomach doesn't get big naman (I heard this happens when the worm grows right?).

 

I've been asking her if she would want to visit a Nutrisionist, maybe this would help.. Any recommendations?

 

Thanks mga docs!

First, flattered namn ako sa term na "house gastro". (nye!)

But please, I'm just another respondent/poster in these fora.

Well anyways, SpecNyt, your friend's case is not an ordinary one and madami pa kailangan info na hindi na-provide. For example, pano yung bowel movement nya - nag diarrhea ba sya or normal lang ang stool. May vomiting ba? These two questions provides a whole lot of answers.

I can cite some possibilities from a gastro's perspective. Specially kung nag diarrhea sya she might be suffering from any of the malabsorption syndromes. Pwedeng pancreatic insufficiency (lack of pancreatic enzymes) or even chronic pancreatitis. Pwede ding problem sa lining ng small or large intestines (any of the rare or not so rare enteritides or colitides e.g. eosinophilic enteritis or colitis; inflammatory bowel disease e.g. Crohn's or ulcerative colitis among others. But I'm quite sure napick-up namn tong mga to kung nag-consult sya sa gastro. Would you remember the endoscopy results?

Other conditions come to mind like endocrine disorders - diabetes, hyperthyroidism (specially kung namamayat kahit malakas kumain. Di ba lumaki or lumuwa ng konti ang mata?); Tuberculosis, di lang sa lungs kundi sa ibang bahagi ng katawan (stomach, intestines, etc).

Other possibilities that are worth considering are Psychiatric conditions particularly Bulimia. Di kaya kain sya ng kain tapos i-vomit nya lang secretly? Kasi the way you describe her, she seems to be eating a lot yet pumapayat sya.

And how about recreational drug use?

These are just but opinions. Iba pa rin yung makita at mainterview and ma-physical exam and patient.

I hope di ako lalo nakagulo.

@angel

Sus! may libre plugging pa ko sa yo...

@arnold

Kung 2006 pa yung test, i would advise you to have the hepa B profile (HbsAg, Anti-HBs, HbeAg, Anti-Hbe, Anti-HBc IgG) and SGPT done. It's the fist step. This would cost about 2-3k depende kung saan mo papagawa

Depende sa resullts we would have to preoceed as I said with the HBV DNA. This costs about 3-4K sa NKI more sa ibang hospital.

Treatment on the other hand is not always indicated. But just in case, you have 2 options. The injectable, w/c costs around 14k per shot, one shot per week for 1 year. The other option is the oral w/c is a daily dose costing 200 up depending on what medication we would use. But treatment with the oral meds would last at least one or two years (open ended yan) And even with treatment complete response is often not achieved. Kadalasan you would still have a (+) HBsAG suppressed nga lang ang activity.

I would gladly see you however I practice in the province. La ako clinic in Metro Manila. PM mo na lang location mo

@ Arnoldtan&lt

If di naman conclusive yung tests mo, we can just opt for observation. No need to treat for the meantime.

If your HBsAg was done as part of a pre-employment screening, it may present as a problem. Usually, if your work is non-medical or without any patient contact we would usually issue clearance. However, depende din yan sa company na ina-applyan mo if they would honor that clearance.<BR><BR>Another thing is that, there is no treatment kng HBsAg positive lang. Actually, even if you turn out to be really qualified for treatment, only a percentage of those who undrwent treatment can eventually develop a negative HBsAg test even after years of medications.

You may try to backread on my previous posts bka meron pa additional info ka makuha dun

I suggest you see a gastroenterologist personally para may makapag-assess sa yo ng husto and advise you accordingly

@ Arnoldtan

Basically this means that you have the virus in your system. What I usually do is request for the rest of the hepa B profile - HBeAg, Anti-Hbe, Anti Hbc igM/IgG, SGOT, SGPT. This would give us an idea kng active and transmissible yung infection and kung nag inflame yng liver mo. kung "positive" yng results mo, we could request for the HBV DNA to get the viral load. If it's significant, only then can you undergo treatment which is anywhere from 1 year to several years.

how about in abroad, kasi yung kapatid ko dati noong bata pa siya meron hepa a, so noong last month nagpatingin siya nasa dugo pa rin niya yung hepa a.....hindi naba naalis yun..kahit magaling na siya

You are probably referring to the antibody to Hepa A - anti Hepa A virus IgG / anti-HAV IgG which is a marker of past infection. Ibig sabihin nyan exactly is that nagkaron sya ng past hepa A infection. That antibody should stay for life which is actualy protective for reinfection with hepa A (or at least partly)

Hi Angel.

Musta?

To add to your previous post...

High risk jobs are those with direct patient contact or those in health care - nurses, med techs, etc. Usually people positive for hep B are labeled "unfit" for the risk of transmitting the infection specially kung active yung infection based on laboratory tests.

Low risk jobs are those not really involved with health care - clerical or desk jobs for example.

Unfortunately and style ng ibang mga companies is that if your (+) for HBsAg dehado ka na, which is really unfair specially if low risk namn yung trabaho.

Hep A on the other hand is another story. Usually, pahinga lang yan. parang natrankaso. It's contagious pero hindi naman sya nag-la last ng matagal

I just had my hepa b screening. The results were

 

HBsAG = patient's count - 0.478; non-reactive

Anti-HBS = patient's count - 2.000; non-reactive

 

I'm glad I'm Hepa B free but I understand also that my Anti-HBs of 2 is way below the cut-off value of 10. Would you recommend that I get the vaccine? I'm going abroad next month and I don't think I will be able to complete the needed vaccine doses if it's gonna take 3-6 mos. I'm not really sure if it's a good idea to pursue the vaccination. I could just be wasting my money if the incomplete vaccine turns out ineffective. I would really appreciate the advice of the medical experts here. Thanks.

If you had the vaccine before for 3 doses, you just need another dose as a booster.

If not, the standard is 3 doses. It's really up to you

thanks alot for clearing this up....

 

So the bottom line is, its better to have a strong immune system to start with, as well as vaccination to protect yourself and your loved ones.

 

 

By any chance you know what are the factors determining why some people become chronic carriers?

Indeed, a strong immune system and vaccination would give a stong fighting chance against hepa B not to mention a "healthy" lifestyle

With regards to the factors which determine who will become chronic carriers it's very hard to fully elucidate. For one thing acquiring it during infancy would increase the chances of having a chronic infection. The body's immune system and the viral load (amt of virus in the body) likewise play a role. There are host and viral factors that come it to play that are quite technical and even too vague to discuss.

hope i helped a little

Are infected persons contagious?

The basic marker for being infectious or contagious is HBeAg. If it is reactive and if your Anti-Hbe is non-reactive, chances are your hepatitis is contagious.

Other factors include viral load or HBV DNA levels

By the way

 

if you have recovered from an HBV infection and not chronic infected.

 

What wuold be a typical test results?

 

 

 

 

 

HBsAg - non-reactive

Anti-HBc - reactive

HBe Ag - non-reactive

Anti HBe - reactive

Anti-Hbs - reactive

thank you for the reply.

 

So its correct to assume that when healthy adults are infected, they have a bigger chance, around 85-90% of flushing to virus out because of their mature immune system? Or i am wrong?

 

Or the 90% is a high figure to state? flushing out is ambigous.

 

So assuming the figure stated basing on western countries scenario.

 

85- 90% of the adults infected are able to flush the virus out without treatment because of their mature immune system? 10 to 15% of those are not able to flush out the virus are either not contagous, carriers or develops chronic diseases later on?

 

 

indeed a good percentage of adults who get infected can clear the virus from their bodies without producing very serious symptoms. however there are those who develop severe symptoms like overt liver failure. It is impossible to predict who will develop a serios illness and those who will not.

 

after the acute illness (whether mild or severe) some will retain the virus in their bodies (chronic infection). Some will have long standing liver inflammation (chronic hepatitis) which may lead to the dreaded complications of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The lucky ones may not develop symptoms and complications at all. In both cases, some will be contagious and some not.

Are infected persons contagious?

 

When people first get hepatitis B, they are contagious for several weeks before they get symptoms and for the whole time that they feel sick, which is 1-2 months. People who do not clear the virus (5-10% of the people who get hepatitis are contagious for the rest of their lives.

 

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/acd/diseases/hepb/facts.shtml

 

Is it correct to say that 90% of the people that are infected of Hepatitis B are able to flush the virus out? and not have a chronic infection and not contagious?

 

Or the medical test will still be able to detect the infection even thought the body is able to flush it out?

 

What are the implication of a person who has resisted or who are not contagious (90% of the infected)? Do the blood test detect this and cause for concern for people who are planning to go overseas?

Burger,

Take note that the source you looked at is "Western" , "1st world".

Most Hepa B infection that occurs in their setting is "horizontal" - similar to HIV; through sex, blood transfusion or through use of infected needles among others; and usually occurs during adulthood. In this setting, there is a chance that the body can "flush out" the virus provided they have a healthy immune system, even w/o treatment.

Here in the Third world, the usual mode of transmission is vertical - from mother to child around the time of childbirth. In this setting the infant's immature immune syatem does not recognize the virus and does not attempt to "flush it out" Thereby leaving a lot more people with a chronic or long standing infection that would probably last their lifetime. In some, the virus' activity is at a minimum that they are not/ will not be contagious and do not develop any complications from the infection (cirrhosis, liver cancer). In some, the virus' activity increases or fluctuates that they become infectious and develop the above mentioned complications. In both cases, you still harbour the virus in your body and will thereby test positive for the screening test HBsAg

Once you are able to flush the virus from your body, you will test non-reactive to the HBsAg screening. Unfortunately, this does not usually happen in cases where you acquire the infection during childhood like most cases here in our country

Im not sure if it would provide you with sufficient antibodies.

 

 

asan na ba si johardue...

Sorry Angel. Hibernate mode ako

Natahimik din kasi yung thread kaya madalang ako naka-visit

the Hep B vaccine is a 0,1,6 regimen. What if I miss the 6th month dose?

When was your last dose?

The best thing to do would be to have anti-HBs titer done. If the levels are not significant have a booster dose.

By the way, did you have HBsAg screening done before? Kung hindi pa, I suggest you have it done before considering having a booster. Hepa B vaccine is useless if your HBsAg positive

question...

 

I just had a tremendous lbm... as in tubig... and yellow!!! yung tipong di ko namamalayan habang tulog ako na naeebs na ako...

 

as in super tubig talaga!!!

 

siguro mga 7 times ngayong araw na to... so uminom ako ng imodium pero di pa din tumigil... di na ko nakakain buong araw... tapos inom ulit ako ng imodium.. tapos tulog.. ayun tumigil na....

 

feeling ko dahil to sa bola bola na kinain ko the other night... (iba kasi lasa)

 

tapos ngayon.... nag dinner na ako... tapos super sakit ng tummy ko.. parang hinahalukay.... nadidighay naman ako... pero super sakit talaga....

 

ngayon... nilalagnat na ako.... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa so uminom na ako ng paracetamol..

 

kinakabahan ako kung ano to .... may sakit ba na ganito ang symptoms?

Well, looks like tinamaan ka nga sa kinain mo.

Diarrhea is a part of the body's defense mechanisms. Like in your case, that is to flush out the toxins that you ingested. The problem with this is that if your diarrhea is massively watery, you may end up with dehydration.

The mainstay of diarrhea treatment is rehydration. Just let it all out and try to replace your losses with a rehydrating solution (e.g. hydrite, gatorade). What Loperamide (Imodium) does is try to stop yung paglabas ng stools mo which may not be healthy. You're holding in the toxins,etc. Another thing is that yung production ng watery stools mo might still be ongoing pero di lang sya lumalabas increasing the pressure in your bowels. This could explain bakit sumasakit pa yung tyan mo.

Your fever may be part of an infectious process which might be causing your diarrhea and in part by dehydration. Other signs of dehydration includes sunken eyeballs, dry mouth, dry underarms. Likewise, take note of your urine output baka maghapon ka nang di umiihi, this would alert you to the possibility of involvement of your kidney because of your dehydration.

You can try antibiotics - quinolones would have good coverge but rehydration is still the best way to go. If you can't take sufficient oral rehydration for whatever reason or if you really feel weak, better have yourself confined.

Files yes... but you may encounter problems with the OS. The problem here is that the drivers that are installed on the OS is for the old machine. Anyway in some cases nabubuksan nila yung OS, they can even log in. Pag ganito yung nangyari, tsaka mo install yung drivers para sa machine.

 

If all else fails, balik mo yung hardisk sa lumang machine. Uninstall all programs. Ikabit mo sa new machine yung HD, then reinstall the OS, no formatting, just reinstall the OS.

 

Or kung may bago ka naman hardisk, dun ka na lang maginstall ng OS, tapos lipat mo yung hardisk mo

Thanks a lot for the fast rerply!

Guys,

I'm planning to upgrade my computer. I'm currently on a genuine xp home edition and I have a lot of programs and files on my present rig. kapag inilipat ko ba yung lumang harddisks ko sa bagong pc mareretain ko pa yung OS ko and files?

THE INTERNET IS A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE SPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL EASILY BELIEVE WHATEVER INFORMATION THEY COME ACROSS OR WHO'S OPINION CAN BE SWAYED EASILY BY INDIVIDUALS WHO PRESENT WITH "MESSIANIC" HULABALOO.

EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO HIS OWN OPINION. BUT PLEASE EVALUATE THE INFORMATION YOU COME ACROSS AS TO IT'S MERIT BEFORE DISSEMINATING IT TO OTHERS SPECIALLY IF YOU JUST CAME ACROSS IT AND HAVE NOT VERIFIED IT BY SOUND SCIENTIFIC METHODS.

INFORMATION COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS SPECIALLY TO SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT UNDERSTAND IT FULLY.

PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST NON PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENTS. LIVING HEALTHY IS ALWAYS GOOD. AS TO HERBAL CURES I FEEL IT'S A MATTER OF PREFERENCE AS LONG AS THERE IS NO HARM TO THE PATIENT. MANY DRUGS ARE ACTUALLY DERIVATIVES FROM HERBAL SOURCES

ONE MORE THING - PLS GET YOUR TERMINOLOGIES STRAIGHT. CURE AND CONTROL ARE SIMILAR AND TO SOME PEOPLE CAN BE VERY CONFUSING. ALAMIN MO MABUTI YUNG IBIG MONG SABIHIN AND TRY TO KNOW WHAT DIABETES REALLY IS BEFORE MAKING ANY SWEEPING STATEMENTS.

PEACE!

pls specify ang need mo for firewire.. almost all laptop /branded meron firewire... pang pc ba?? usb to firewire cable lang kailangan mo.. anyways you can always post pic ng need mo or just go to gilmore for actual demo

Thanks for the reply. Actually, I'm planning to get a digital camcorder. I wish to install a firewire port sa PC ko for video transfer and editing. Do you think ok na yung usb to firewire cable for this purpose?

Good day guys!

Tanong lang ako kung may alam kayo nabibilhan ng combo USB 2.0/Firewire PCI adapter or Firewire PCI adapter?

I perfectly agree with otitis. I think it would be best to see a doctor.

dude can anyone help me... meron akong symptoms. its quite hard to pee yung unang labas... tapos pagnakaihi na medyo ok na until naubos na yung wee wee... pero if i hold my genitals firmly not that tight but not that loose di sya masakit mag urinate... then parang feeling ko lagi akong naiihi pero konti konti lang naman... tapos dun sa may mismong nilalabasan ng ihi sa bandang baba lang ng konti...parang may blister na maliit na parang pimple pinkish color...it doesn't hurt when i touch it... i hope someone can help me or pm me... please help guys.... thank you... kinakabahan na ako e... and yung medication...

Genteel,

You are having symptoms of urethritis or UTI . If you had any unprotected sexual contact with a "questionable" partner, that could be an STD. If not, there could be a number of other reasons. May napapansin ka ba discharge or staining sa underwear mo? Yung blister naman mahirap sabihin kung ano talaga. It's better to have a urinalysis first. Pero if you do have a discharge, better see a doctor para maevaluate ng husto and mabigyan ka ng tamang gamot

Ang cause kasi ng migraine eh over toxic. Kaya dapat bawas sa toxic foods

Ang cause ng migraine e toxic na boss, toxic na trabaho, toxic na pasyente, etc

Kidding aside, some foodstuff can cause migraine attacks. If you may backtrack a little through the previous posts, certain food which are rich in tyramine like wine, chocolate and cheese can be a trigger. So if you have migraine stay away from these foodstuff