60% of people infected with hepatitis B virus do not know it

According to health experts, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health problem affecting more than 350 million people worldwide. In Vietnam alone, about 10-20% of the population is infected with this virus. Hepatitis B virus infection can lead to serious complications such as liver failure, cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.

That was the information given at the Conference "Application of tests in diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases" held on the afternoon of November 6 in Hanoi.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nghiem Luat, MEDLATEC General Hospital, warned that chronic hepatitis B can lead to about 1/3 of cases of cirrhosis and more than 3/4 of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma in the world. Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the world, and hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 85-90% of these liver cancers.

Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma include: chronic hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, old age, male gender, alcoholism, diabetes, fatty liver disease... Among these causes, chronic hepatitis B virus infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in the world. So when do patients infected with hepatitis B virus need to be monitored, not yet treated, when should they start treatment, when should they stop treatment... is currently a concern of many doctors and patients.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nghiem Luat, acute hepatitis B is the first stage of hepatitis B, occurring suddenly and with a short duration of illness. Most patients recover after about one to two months. However, there are cases that last for months, even years, or progress to chronic hepatitis B, liver failure, etc.

Notably, only about 40% of patients have symptoms such as: fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, sometimes vomiting - fever - cold, pain in the limbs and discomfort in the right hypochondrium, possibly jaundice, yellow eyes... Many people infected with hepatitis B virus are considered "healthy" or healthy carriers. However, in the long term, depending on the physical condition, these viruses can multiply and begin to damage the liver and can cause liver failure and cirrhosis.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nghiem Luat recommends that, to detect acute hepatitis B early and accurately, people infected with hepatitis B virus need to have regular check-ups every 6 months to 1 year and do necessary tests as soon as there are suspicious signs to assess liver function and virus activity.

According to VnMedia