Hepatitis B

A healthcare provider will ask you about your symptoms and physically examine you. They might ask about your health history, any history of liver disease in your family or other factors that might make you more susceptible to viral hepatitis.

As you might not have symptoms or any known risk factors, the only way to find out for sure if you have hepatitis B is by testing your blood. Specific blood tests can tell your healthcare provider all they need to know about your condition, such as:

If you have an acute or chronic infection.
If you’ve been infected in the past.
If you’ve developed immunity to the virus.
If the infection is interfering with your liver function.

After diagnosis, your provider may want to order additional tests to check how your liver is doing. They might want to look at radiographic images of your liver tissues. In some cases, they might want to take a small sample to examine in the lab (liver biopsy).

Recent exposure

If you’ve only recently been exposed to HBV and the virus is still incubating in your body, it might not show up on a blood test yet. A healthcare provider may not be able to tell right away if you’ve been infected, but they can still treat you preventatively.

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

Request an appointment

Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

Living with atrial fibrillation?

Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Heart Rhythm Conditions support group on Freedmans Health Clinic Connect, a patient community.