Magnitude and Pattern of Hepatitis B Carriers in the General Population at a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a parenterally transmitted virus that has assumed great clinical significance of late. The clinical presentation of HBV ranges from asymptomatic or unapparent infection to acute liver failure. Subsequent to acute manifestations, there is generally elimination of the virus by the body’s immune processes within 6 months, but the crux of the issue lies with the individuals who remain chronically infected, who could progress on to more severe forms of hepatic disease like cirrhosis and carcinoma, or may remain asymptomatic in the form of a carrier state