Viral hepatitis remains one of the world’s most serious health problems, said doctor Beata Logiewa‑Bazger, calling for wider public awareness and regular preventive testing.
More than 270 million people live with hepatitis B and another 71 million with hepatitis C, mostly chronic infections of which patients are unaware, said Logiewa‑Bazger, who heads the Observational‑Infectious, Infectious Hepatology and Acquired Immunodeficiencies ward at the Chorzów Specialist Hospital.
Acute cases present visible symptoms such as jaundice and fatigue, speeding intervention, she said. Chronic infections are harder to detect and may remain silent for years, during which the disease can advance toward cirrhosis and even organ failure.
She cautioned against dismissing even minor abnormalities in liver test results and noted that primary‑care doctors do not always refer patients for further diagnostics, despite available, reimbursed tests that detect markers for hepatitis B and C.
“It’s a simple test that can be done once a year,” she said, adding that patients with positive results are referred to specialist clinics for further diagnosis and, if chronic infection is confirmed, antiviral treatment.
Because liver disease often causes no pain, many patients seek care only at advanced stages, with complications such as ascites, edema or hepatic encephalopathy.
Cirrhosis replaces healthy tissue with connective tissue, undermining protein production and detoxification; it may require transplantation and can end fatally, she warned.
World Hepatitis Day is observed annually on July 28 to raise awareness of the infection, which can lead to serious health problems, including liver cancer. The chief threats remain hepatitis B and C; both can be acute or chronic.
Hepatitis C often goes symptomless for years, earning labels like a “silent epidemic” or a “viral time bomb.”
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Source: PAP