Acute hepatitis B
- No specific treatment
- Care is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including replacement of fluids that are lost from vomiting and diarrhoea.
Chronic hepatitis B
- Treated with drugs, including interferon and anti-viral agents, which can help some patients
- Cost thousands of dollars per year and is not available to most patients in developing countries.
Liver cancer is almost always fatal, and often develops in people at an age when they are most productive and have family responsibilities. In developing countries, most people with liver cancer die within months of diagnosis. In higher income countries, surgery and chemotherapy can prolong life for up to a few years in some patients.
Patients with cirrhosis are sometimes given liver transplants, with varying success.
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