You are very important for us, therefore MediHelp International provides you the access to critical information for your wellbeing offered by prof. Irinel Popescu, a leader in surgical oncology and liver-related medical procedures.
The most common cause of viral hepatitis is represented by B and C viruses. 325 million people are currently infected with these viruses worldwide. About 1.5 million of them die each year. One person dies every 30 seconds from complications of viral hepatitis.
Both viruses are extremely dangerous since:
Currently, the medicine has therapeutic means against both
viruses.
Modern treatments for C virus have proved to be very
effective, and their discovery was even crowned with the award of the Nobel
Prize. The rate of healing achieved is impressive, but the adverse effects of
the treatment, although minor, can occur.
However, the current treatment against C virus can be generally
considered curative.
Progress has also been made in the treatment of B virus, but
not so spectacular. There is no curative treatment for the B virus at the
moment.
Instead, there is a highly effective vaccine against the B
virus.
As we all know, a disease is easier to prevent than to
treat.
The effectiveness of screening programs has been assessed in
Germany. It is estimated that, through these programs, the total number of
patients with C hepatitis will decrease from 275,000 in 2015 to 14,000 in 2040.
Taking into account both the high cost of treatment and the potential adverse
effects, it is considered that such programs are very necessary and justified.
HCV infection screening is currently based on the detection
of anti-HCV
Ac (antibodies against C virus) and of B virus infection on the
detection of Ag HBs (surface antigen of B virus).
There are rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) that use serum, plasma
or blood fully from the finger, but there are also tests by which
determinations are made from saliva.
WHO recommendations are that the screening be performed on
the entire population (”universal screening”). It is recommended to use a
single test (RDT or ELISA) for the detection of Ag HBs (which highlights the B
virus infection) and of Ac anti HVC (which highlights the C virus infection).
The screening programs, which have already started in
Romania (such a program is coordinated by the Fundeni Clinical Institute), aim
to carry out an activity of informing and educating the population by all means
and, first of all, by the media. Non-governmental organizations of patients are
also involved in this undertaking.
An important role in the screening programs belongs to the
family doctor, who knows the patients and can fit them into the risk
categories. As it is known, the risks are higher in those who use injecting
treatments and those who receive blood transfusions; also, illegal injecting
drug users are a particularly exposed category. The homeless and those living
in extreme poverty are equally exposed.
The family doctor is the one who determines the type of
tests, who performs and interprets them; the family doctor will also be the one
who sends the patient to the specialist doctor when it has been positively
detected. Also, in collaboration with the specialist doctor, ensures the
monitoring of the patient throughout the treatment.
If the initial testing is negative, it should be repeated at
an interval of 2-3 years.
Regarding the B virus, there are programs of prophylaxis of
transmission of infection from mother to child, and vaccination is recommended
immediately after birth; in Romania there is such a program, which starts in
maternity and continues through the paediatric network.
For adult patients, it is also recommended the vaccination
against the B virus. This is especially true for some vulnerable categories:
doctors and nurses, chronically dialyzed patients, patients who receive
long-term injectable treatment and blood transfusions, immunocompromised
patients, etc.
With all the hardships urged by the pandemic, both the
screening programs and the early treatment of the infections detected with B or
C virus must continue, through a joint effort of those involved, doctor and
patient.