Hello! Are you referring to Hepatitis B?
Has he or is he going to recieve treatment for this condition?
Prognosis for Hepatitis depends largely on the complications that develop, how soon it begins intervention by anti-viral treatment and the individual's ability to heal which is impossible to predict. Most of the time, the severity of the disease will be evaluated based on a liver biopsy that would be preformed by his doctor. Hepatitis B is usually only acute for 2-3weeks and may develop into chronic hepatitis after that, which puts patients at higher risk for liver cancer and cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). The acute stages of this are fatal in only about 1% of cases with treatment.
Hepatitis C is more serious in general and is more often the cause of chronic liver problems and death by liver complications (the cancer of the liver and scarring). This is the number one reason for liver transplants in the US right now.
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Unfortunately that does not speak well for his prognosis. The continued use of alcohol will speed up the disease process as will his inability to recieve treatment. The fortunate thing is that most people who become infected with HBV are able to clear the virus from their bloodstream and develop immunity. People who have not cleared their virus after six months are considered to have chronic hepatitis B and this is where complications including death become a very real possibility. Unfortunately your uncle's health is impaired by his drinking and inability to be treated... prognosis is affected negatively for this. Again though, it is impossible to diagnose really how 'long' he has left. It is important to focus on improving his possibilities and encouraging him to stop drinking so that he may recieve treatment.
For your own safety you do need to know that HBV is more contaigious than HIV... it is spread through contact with blood and the virus can live outside of the body in bodily secreations for up to a week. Personal items (toothbrush, earrings, shaving razors, etc.) should not be shared with an infected person. HBV is not passed through casual contact like sneezing, coughing or hugging.
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Nurse
RN, CNA II, BLS-CPR certified, Ordination current, Author of "In Exchange for Grace"