Does hepatitis B need immediate treatment?

Question
Hello doctor,
On December 21, 2020, I went to the district hospital to check and was positive for chronic hepatitis B (B18). Then I was prescribed by the doctor:
Total blood cell analysis by automatic counter. Biochemistry test ast(got) 28.10,alt (fpt) 20.30, immunological (alpha FP) 2.9. General abdominal ultrasound of liver, kidney, bile, marrow, spleen and bladder did not detect any abnormalities. Screening for cirrhosis by FIBROSCAN scanner is 5.8, IQR 0.9,IQR/med 16%. After doing the above 4 steps, the doctor diagnosed that there was no need for treatment and said to re-examine in 3 months. So let me ask if hepatitis B needs to be treated right away?
Tan Tai (1981)
Reply
Hello,
To the question "Does hepatitis B need to be treated right away?", the doctor would like to answer as follows:
Hepatitis B is a disease caused by the HBV virus, If the infection becomes chronic it is important to prevent and minimize damage to the liver. With proper treatment, the prognosis is usually very good. However, it is not always necessary to immediately treat with antiviral drugs, but it is necessary to monitor and test the status of the liver as well as the body so that the treatment can be most effective. Your need to do is to monitor and examine your liver periodically, limit excessive exercise, supplement nutrition and limit the consumption of substances harmful to the liver. In terms of testing, such indicators are not qualified for treatment with antiviral drugs. You should monitor regularly every 3 months to come to the most accurate decision.
In terms of infecting relatives and the community, you should vaccinate other family members, test for antibody levels after vaccination, avoid family members coming into contact with secretions as well as your own blood, as well as healthy activities to protect your health.
If you still have questions about hepatitis B, you can go to a hospital of Vinmec Health System for testing and further advice. Thank you for trusting and sending questions to Vinmec. Wishing you lots of health.
Best regards!

Answered by Master, Doctor Nguyen Quoc Lan - Doctor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.