Hepatitis B—Why You Should Test
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a disease characterized by inflammation of the liver. People most at risk include health care workers, people with multiple sex partners, intravenous drug users, and hemophiliacs. Anyone who has had a tattoo, blood transfusion and those who are in close personal contact with an infected person are also at a higher risk of contracting the disease.

Facts

• HBV may develop into a chronic disease (which means lasting more than six months) in up to 10% of the 200,000 newly infected people each year.
• Of the more than one million Americans with chronic infection, an estimated 15-25% will die of complications associated with HBV.
• According to the World Health Organization statistics, HBV-induced cirrhosis or liver cancer is the ninth most common cause of death worldwide, taking more than one million lives each year.

Recommended Testing Guidelines
The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test is the preferred test for screening insurance applicants for HBV infection. Those who screen positive for HBsAg can be tested for hepatitis B early antigen (HBeAg) to detect actively replicating viral infections that are at the highest risk for HBV-related complications.

LabOne recommends testing for applicants with any of the following:

• elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels
• history of unspecified "hepatitis"
• liver disease or jaundice

Applicants who live in states or provinces where hepatitis risk is particularly high should also be tested.