How to “treat” hepatitis B carriers

  There are about 93 million hepatitis B virus carriers (ASC) in China, accounting for about 7% of our population and more than one-third of ASC worldwide, and not all of these people are free from progressive liver damage, the mechanism of its occurrence and development cannot be fully elucidated yet, and the clinical situation is complex with variable regression. In recent years, most of the ASC liver histological examinations have revealed various degrees of inflammatory changes. According to statistics, only less than 10% of ASC liver histology is normal, while the rest have different degrees of inflammation and fibrosis, and even some are cirrhosis.  China’s latest Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B states: chronic HBV carriers do not need antiviral therapy for the time being. However, biochemistry, virology, fetoprotein and imaging should be performed every 3-6 months, and IFN-a or nucleoside (acid) analogue therapy (II-2) can be used if the indication for antiviral therapy is met. Liver histology is strongly recommended to determine whether antiviral therapy is indicated in individuals >40 years of age, especially in men or those with a family history of HCC, even if ALT is normal or mildly elevated. If liver histology shows Knodell HA ≥ 4, or inflammatory necrosis ≥ G2, antiviral therapy is required, while those with unremarkable hepatitis or no liver histology are recommended to withhold treatment. Inactive HBsAg carriers generally do not require antiviral therapy, but biochemical, HBVDNA, AFP and liver ultrasound imaging should be performed every 6 months. However, in the current situation in China, it is difficult to perform liver puncture histological examination for ASCs in general, because it is difficult for patients to accept and few hospitals can perform it. With the increasing awareness of people’s health and disease prevention, the number of ASC patients is gradually increasing, and whether and how to treat this group of people has become an important research issue in the medical field. Clinical and experimental studies on the treatment of ASC in Chinese medicine have been conducted for many years, and although some experiences have been summarized, there is a lack of strict multicenter, double-blind design, controlled studies, and low reproducibility of prescriptions and medicines, which affects the feasibility of efficacy. Experimental studies have also identified a number of in vitro HBV-inhibiting herbal medicines, but the actual application to clinical efficacy is far from the actual antiviral mechanism of action to human efficacy is very little, and there are significant differences with the basic theory of TCM dialectical treatment of the guiding principles of drug use. Therefore, we use the theory of TCM for treating the untreated disease, apply the theory of TCM constitution, classify ASC into 7 types of evidence for treatment, and summarize the ideas and rules of medication in accordance with the “holistic concept” and dialectical treatment of TCM, so as to apply them to clinical prevention and treatment of disease.  The doctrine of physical constitution in TCM is a doctrine that is guided by the theory of TCM to study the physiological and pathological characteristics of various physical constitutions and types of human beings, and to analyze the reaction status of diseases, the nature of lesions and the tendency of development, so as to guide the prevention and treatment of diseases. The specificity of individual physique often leads to the susceptibility of the organism to certain disease-causing factors. There is the phenomenon of the same qi seeking between the special physique (pathological physique) and the corresponding disease evil. More than 80% of the world’s population is exposed to or infected with the hepatitis B virus. The reason why some people recover quickly, others become virus carriers, others evolve into chronic hepatitis, and some even develop into severe hepatitis is mainly due to the differences in each individual’s constitution.  ASC patients often have no obvious clinical symptoms and signs, because of their virus carriers, the actual state of subhealth, many patients have easy fatigue and liver discomfort, liver function series of tests, although transaminases, bilirubin normal, but high or abnormal globulin, the longer their virus carriers, the lower the immune function of the body, in some overwork, tobacco and alcohol stimulation, liver-damaging drugs and other adverse factors Under the influence of some unfavorable factors such as overwork, tobacco and alcohol stimulation, and liver-damaging drugs, acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer will occur and develop. Before the onset of hepatitis, we can prevent and stop the onset of hepatitis by using safe and effective herbal remedies that can correct the patient’s biased constitution and adjust his immune function, so that he can reach a balanced state of Yin and Yang, and Qi and blood, thus achieving the purpose of disease prevention and treatment.  According to the theory of physical constitution in Chinese medicine, physical constitution is a relatively specific personality characteristic, which is adjustable, and prescriptions are an important means to improve physical constitution. Modern clinical observation and pharmacological experiments have preliminarily verified the idea of the modifiability of physique. Improving the body constitution will be a new way to prevent and treat diseases in TCM. Body identification and conditioning has unique advantages for the prevention of related diseases and the intervention of subhealth.  According to the “Classification and Judgment Standards of Physical Physique in Chinese Medicine”, we classify ASC into 7 types of physical physique and carry out treatment by typology: I. Qi deficiency type: easy fatigue, shortness of breath, lazy speech and sweating when moving are the main characteristics. It is characterized by easy fatigue, shortness of breath, lazy speech and sweating on movement. It is prone to colds, with a light red tongue, teeth marks on the edge of the tongue and weak pulse.  Yang deficiency type: with fear of cold, lack of warmth in the hands and feet, preference for hot food, lack of energy, pale, fat and tender tongue, sluggish pulse, giving warming the middle and strengthening the spleen, Xiao Jian Zhong Tang or Ren Qi Wan plus or minus.  Yin deficiency type: dry mouth and throat, heat in the heart of the hands and feet, preference for cold drinks, dry stools, thin shape, red tongue with little fluid, thin pulse. Give nourishing the liver and nourishing the kidneys, and add reduction with Consistent Decoction or Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.  Fourth, phlegm-damp type: with obesity, abdominal hypertrophy, sweating and sticky, chest tightness and phlegm. The main symptom is the preference for fatty, sweet and sticky food, with greasy tongue coating and slippery pulse, and ultrasound examination is mostly suggestive of fatty liver.  Damp-heat type: with oily face, acne prone, bitter and dry mouth, heavy and sleepy body, sticky or dry stools, short and yellow urine, red tongue, yellow and greasy coating, slippery pulse as the main features.  Blood stasis type: with dull complexion, hyperpigmentation, easy appearance of petechiae, dull mouth and lips, dull tongue or petechiae, purple and dull or thickened veins under the tongue, and astringent pulse.  Qi-depression type: depression, emotional vulnerability, discomfort in both ribs, pale red tongue, thin white fur, and stringent pulse.  Case examples: I. Zhang ×, female, 32 years old, initially diagnosed on March 16, 2009, right rib discomfort, heavy and sleepy, poor appetite and vomiting, slightly yellow urine, dry stool, 1-2 days once, red tongue with yellow moss, thin and stringent pulse, liver function: glutathione aminotransferase: 43, HBSAg (+), HBeAb (+), HBCAb (+). HBVDNA <1.000×103, damp-heat type, given to clear heat, resolve dampness and strengthen the spleen.  The medicine was administered for half a month, with an increase in the number of vomiting and an improvement in body fatigue. Urine clear, stool once a day, tongue red, moss fall yellow, pulse thin. Following the above formula in and out of conditioning for more than a month, the liver function was rechecked, glutathione aminotransferase: 32. After taking Chinese medicine for conditioning every year for more than a month, liver function and HBVDNA recheck has been normal.  Gao X, male, 24 years old, was first diagnosed on December 13, 2007, feeling discomfort in both ribs, tiredness and fatigue, depressed, still eating, still regulating bowel movements, light red tongue, white coating and string pulse. Liver function: basically normal, and the evidence is of the qi-depression type, so he was given to dredge liver and regulate qi, nourish blood and soften liver.  The liver function: basically normal, the diagnosis is the type of qi-depression, to dredge the liver and regulate qi, nourish blood and soften the liver.  Take 10 doses of medicine since feeling better spirit, body tiredness and weakness to improve, followed by the above in and out of conditioning for more than a month, and then with the prodigal pill after good, follow-up 3 years, no discomfort, regular re-examination of liver function is normal,, HBVDNA <1.000E+0.3.