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 an average heart rate of 80 beats per minute on a 24-hour ECG, all other tests are normal. He hasn’t taken any medication, and the symptoms have improved on their own. Now, he wakes up every morning feeling sore all over, often irritable, depressed, and occasionally experiencing abdominal bloating (ultrasound shows normal results), along with occasional chest pain. He’s a hepatitis B carrier (viral load 10^4), but his liver function is normal. 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 “big three positive” stage 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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