Allergies and HBV?

General Discussion
#1

Hi everyone and happy Friday :blush:

I hope you all had a good and productive week!

I have a random question regarding chronic hep B and allergy in general, since my partner who is chronically infected with hep B also struggles with year-round environmental allergy starting about 2-3 years ago. Symptoms vary from sneezing, stuffy nose, red, irritated eyes, and sensitivity to dust. Couple of months ago after going swimming without wearing goggles, his eyes became irritated and often would get really red, especially when waking up in the morning.

Could it be possible that the body’s active immune response against HBV makes a person more susceptible to having allergic reactions? If so how can we make it better?

And as always, thank you so much for your response and information. I wish everyone a happy weekend ^^

INTRODUCTION THREAD: People affected by Hep B
#2

Dear @Tran-ng,

These sound like normal allergies that some people get even without Hep B and I cannot find much data showing a strong linkage between HBV and allergies. That said, there are some instances where itching can be caused by more advanced liver disease. If fibrosis is normal or mild, I would suspect that other causes should be considered first.

In terms of ways around it, I guess you could try anti-histamines (if no contraindications) to see if that helps?

Cheers,
Thomas

#3

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for your response!

Yes, my partner always has to carry Zyrtec with him for symptoms of allergy. He has an appointment with an ophthalmologist next week for red eyes, so we will see how it goes. Hopefully like you said, it’s just normal allergy that even some people without hep B get.

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#4

Hello Hep B community!

It’s been a little bit since I posted here, but I still keep up with all the current info that you all update everyday, and thank you so much for keeping the group very informative and up to date!

When I posted last time, I had questions for my boyfriend at the time who is a chronic hep B carrier, as I was trying to navigate through how to best take care of the virus, and our community has been so welcoming and helpful! A little bit update on that: we got married last week!! I am thankful for everything.

Today I just have a question, again, about Hep B and allergy. My husband has very bad pollen allergy that he usually takes Zyrtec for. However this year I feel like it’s gotten worse and thought he might benefit from the allergy shot. I’m just wondering if it’s safe for Hep B people to receive allergy shots, and are there any special precautions/advice on that?

Thank you all for any information!!

#5

Dear @Tran-ng,

What wonderful news and congratulations on your marriage. I’m glad you shared your experiences and I think you give a great deal of hope to those worried about trying to get a partner while they live with Hepatitis B.

Regarding safety, it’s usually best to defer to your specialist who has your patient history. As far as I can tell, Hep B is not a contraindication for allergen immunotherapy (presumably what you mean by allergy shots) and there doesn’t seem to be any research around it.

Hope this helps,
Thomas

#6

Thank you so much Thomas for taking the time to do some research and reply to my question!!

Best,

Tran Nguyen

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