Hepatitis B, C and D viruses develop "insidiously". Kocaeli University (KOU) Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Department Lecturer Prof. Dr. Sıla Akhan said, “Especially hepatitis B, C and D viruses can cause chronicity, development of cirrhosis, and liver cancer without causing any significant findings in patients.”
In his statement, Akhan said that the sudden onset hepatitis infection is a type of disease that occurs in the liver as a result of the effect of one of the A, B, C, D, E and G viruses.
Explaining that hepatitis infections that occur suddenly due to A and E viruses do not become chronic, Akhan said, "Especially hepatitis B, C and D viruses can lead to consequences such as chronicization, development of cirrhosis, and liver cancer without causing any significant findings in patients."
Akhan stated that the hepatitis B virus is most frequently passed from mother to baby during birth, and therefore pregnant women are screened and precautions are taken by means of immune system protector and vaccination for those with positive findings.
Noting that hepatitis B can be transmitted through blood and blood products, close contact other than sexual contact, Akhan said, “People who live in the same house and use special items such as cutlery and towels can also be infected due to the virus's ability to stay alive for a long time and to be found in the body secretions of the sick person. Vaccination of people at risk but not immune is an important public health problem. Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is one of the most common infections in the world. Approximately 400 million people in the world have CHB infection. The death rate due to CHB exceeds one million per year”.
“The development of chronic hepatitis B is inversely proportional to age”
prof. Dr. Akhan stated that there are 3-7 percent of patients with CHB infection in Turkey, adding that the risk of developing CHB infection is inversely proportional to age.
Stating that when the virus is encountered during the birth of babies, the rate of chronicity of the disease rises to 90 percent, Akhan noted that the rate of chronicity of the disease in children aged 1-5 years is 25-50 percent, while it is 6-10 percent in older children and adults.
Emphasizing that chronic hepatitis C (CHC) virus infection is more difficult to transmit than hepatitis B, Akhan said: “The mode of transmission of the disease is almost the same as CHB. The diagnosis of CHC infection cannot be found unless specifically sought. The hepatitis D virus is a virus that can be superimposed on the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis D virus cannot cause infection on its own, but a person with hepatitis B infection can be added to it because he always carries the agent in the body. Its addition has an effect that accelerates the hepatitis B infection, which is always present.”
prof. Dr. Akhan stated that since hepatitis B, C and D virus infections do not show any symptoms, there is a need for diagnostic procedures in this regard and said, “Rapid screening tests are preferred because they give good results in terms of both reliability and sensitivity. Since it is possible to treat these diseases today, it is of great importance to treat them before it is too late.
Source : Hurriyet
📩 05/12/2013 23:21
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