body weight away. Not to put
too much pressure on his legs
as they slowly recover.
>> All adults need to get
screened at least once in their
lifetime for hepatitis B.
That’s the new recommendation
from the CDC to talk about this
morning is Doctor David Persse,
chief medical officer for the
city of Houston. We’ll talk
about this new recommendation
and now the Houston Health
Department could help. Doctor,
good morning again. How you
doing today? I’m great. Thanks
for having me. Thanks for being
back with us. So let’s talk
about this. A hepatitis B, not
this does not apply or see
right? There are different
kinds. Can you kind of help
me straighten this out? First?
Yeah. There are actually
several different types of
hepatitis A and it gets
confusing. So.
>> Don’t you know, there’s not
to be Could be really tough to
know that over the years the
names have changed a little bit
to make. Is that the confusion?
But we’re talking about
hepatitis B, which is a fairly
common form of hepatitis.
And in fact, that’s part of the
problem is that each more
common than we had previously
thought jurors and their 17
logical states right now that
suggest that perhaps two-thirds
of the people who have chronic
Hepatitis B infection are
unaware of it. So the city say
just recently came out about 2
weeks ago. The recommendation
that all adults get tested at
least once in their life to
find out whether or not they
have been infected with
hepatitis B virus sometime in
their life.
>> Interesting. So there’s a
portion of us that are caring,
Hepatitis B, but we don’t know
why. Why would we be missing
that? I guess there’s no
symptom showing up. Obviously.
>> Yes, so this jump forms of
hepatitis. And will you know
when you were first infected
you people tend to get a pretty
nondescript viral illness and
seem to get Beaver body age.
Maybe some nausea. The usual
sort of viral illness. Symptoms
dead, many, many different
viruses can cause and nearly
everybody get over that and
most people we’ll get over it
and be done with it. But a good
percentage of votes will
continue. That was called
chronic hepatitis. And they
will have the virus will be
active in their body. Bill
won’t be causing them any
symptoms until because some
really serious problems because
it will average have a tie to
suntex delivered. You can
actually talk of a variety of
other organ systems, but one
of the complications of chronic
hepatitis and cirrhosis or
liver cancer. And so a lot of
people have this chronic
hepatitis infection. They don’t
even know it. And in you know,
they’re not just symptomatic,
but because they don’t know if
they can then inadvertently
spread it to somebody else.
So again, a reason to be able
to get tested so that they will
have a heads up. I knew the
developing complications, but
also to minimize chance they
can spread it to somebody.
>> Doctor me, ask you a
question is the disease or I
guess virus, right? So it’s
a virus. Is the virus doing
damage that whole time? While
the symptoms aren’t showing
themselves? In other words,
first infection may happen
here. Years later, cirrhosis or
something like this of the
liver in throughout that entire
period. This hepatitis has been
damaging the body without even
knowing it.
>> Yeah, you know, the human
body is amazing in its ability
to tolerate, you know, again.
So from the from the your
liberal compensate over years
and years and decades while the
virus and slowly
damaging it. And again, it
isn’t all part of the liver
just can’t keep up anymore.
Before you start developing
symptoms of this again is where
people are going to the doctor
and regulations and getting
regular blood test done to see
that. There’s you know, that
there liver enzymes are
starting to elevated a rate
that they shouldn’t more who
never got tested. The point of
they’ve got to have guys be
virus. So everyone should be
going to a doctor, a regular
everybody should get tested
for hepatitis B, at least once
in their adult lifetime.
And if you will have it, if
you’ve got quite a good
majority is there’s not a sure
forward, but he can. There are
medications that will help
reduce how badly, you know,
quickly damaging your liver and
other organs. So there’s really
benefit to knowing whether or
not you have.
>> And with met with, like with
most things is important to
figure out that diagnosis
early.
>> That absolutely. And another
thing to keep in mind is that
the younger you are when you
become infected, the more
likely someone is to have
serious problems. So that other
age group that we worry about,
of course, is children and
children can get appetite is
through, you know, the same way
said that scam. But in
addition, babies can get during
childbirth. So mom has had to
tase me and doesn’t know when
she gives birth. The baby runs
a chance of contracting a
birth. The baby should get it
will run a really high
percentage chance of having
some serious complications down
the road. And that’s, you know,
that’s tragic and preventable.
Are like, you know, nobody has
it. What you guys ready.
They’re your to minimize the
chance of the unfortunately
of days be is not curable.
And so we’ve got breaking.
Mom is have a choice being
productores have got their
hands full, trying to minimize
the chance to get spread to
the baby.
>> And I’d like to reiterate
one other point. Before we go,
you’re talking about blood
tests, sort of hinting to
something with the liver.
So so those of us to get our
blood work done regularly.
Our primary care doctor May
may see a hint that somewhere
that something’s not right.
>> Yes. And historically,
that’s probably been the way
most of the credit of those
patients have been detected
by the doctors. Notions of
their liver enzymes are going
to give your wind. Then they
get around by just the Raptors
big. Oh, my gosh. You have
chronic hepatitis me this whole
time again. This is why the
CDC is now recommending all
those contests. It is a part of
routine, at least once in your
lifetime show that you and your
doctor will probably figure
out, you know, sooner rather
than waiting until you’ve got
damage to your liver, ready.
There’s no cause your blood
test to change. You want to
find out before then so that
hopefully doctor Weil, the
minimize the rate at which the
damage occurs believe you’re
lucky, you prevent the damage
at all. But again, there are,
unfortunately, is not a cure
for chronic hepatitis B, but
there are medications will help
manage the consequences of that
infection. Where people want to
catch is quickly as possible
for their own.
>> Well, being and fun for
those around him, as you said,
it can it can spread to others
to Doctor David Persse for
Houston Health Department,
thanks so much for always being
with us on Mondays. My pleasure
to have a great week. And
folks, you go to click 2