13. Yang Qian

13. Yang Qian

Q: My husband (32 years old) has been waking up easily startled lately, with a rapid heartbeat. Apart from a 24-hour ECG showing an average heart rate of 80 beats per minute, all other tests are normal. He hasn’t taken any medication, and the symptoms have improved on their own. Now, he wakes up feeling sore all over, is easily irritable, in a low mood, occasionally experiences abdominal bloating (ultrasound shows normal results), and sometimes has chest pain. He’s a hepatitis B carrier (viral load of 10^4), with normal liver function. How should we treat this, and which department should we visit at the hospital?

A: First, we need to treat the hepatitis B. A viral load of 10^4 indicates that he’s still in the active phase of hepatitis B, which can cause all the symptoms you mentioned. Don’t take it lightly—if left untreated, the condition could progress to cirrhosis.

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