Get the 411 on hepatitis

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Get the 411 on hepatitis

LazarukSenior ReporterWednesday April 19, 2006

Airdrie Echo — Do you know that hepatitis is a form of liver disease? If you do, you are more informed than about 50 per cent of Canadians, according to a recent survey.The Canadian Liver Foundation recently commissioned a study to gauge Canadians’ knowledge about hepatitis, which revealed that 46 per cent of respondents understood it to be a liver disease, while few believed they were at risk for contracting it – leading experts in the field to call for more research and education."The results of the survey are dramatic, because many people are not even aware they have a form of hepatitis until serious liver damage has occurred," said Fagan, president of the Canadian Liver Foundation. "It is clear more education is required to ensure Canadians have a better understanding of the seriousness of hepatitis, the risks associated with it and how to reduce their chances of contracting it."For Edmonton-based Dr. Vince Bain, what people ought to know to protect themselves is simple."People should know that blood from other people is one of the most dangerous substances," Bain said.Blood is how hepatitis B and C are transmitted, the first primarily through unprotected sex and from mother to newborn child, and the latter through sharing drug paraphernalia, tattoo or piercing equipment or through sharing such personal items as razor blades and toothbrushes.And while hepatitis A – contracted through eating or drinking products containing fecal matter from an infected person – does not become chronic and curing of hepatitis C is on the rise, there is no cure for hepatitis B, according to Bain. "We can cure about 60 per cent of all forms of Hep C," Bain said, adding that while there are vaccines for hepatitis A and B, there has yet to be one developed for hepatitis C, as it is "highly mutable."Hepatitis B, Bain added, can only be suppressed through drug therapy, while the body cures itself of hepatitis A and becomes immune to the virus.While fewer than five per cent of those adults who contract hepatitis B develop chronic hepatitis, according to Canadian Liver Foundation statistics, the disease can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis and liver failure, with children and infants most at risk for developing chronic hepatitis B. More dangerously, perhaps, is hepatitis C, since most sufferers experience no symptoms, while others may develop fatigue, jaundice, abdominal and joint pain, nausea or loss of appetite. While 15 to 25 per cent of those diagnosed with hepatitis C overcome it, for the rest it can be a lifetime sentence.Experts in the field are preaching better education for the public about the disease and its strains, as well as government action."The population in Canada with chronic hepatitis B and C acquired their disease many years ago," said Dr. Sherman, president of the Canadian Association for Study of the Liver. "In the next decade, unless we are more successful in finding and treating patients, we expect to see rates of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure to increase two to threefold."There is a lack of recognition at the federal and provincial levels of government of the magnitude of this problem. With some exceptions, few jurisdictions are doing anything about it," he added.Highlights from the Canadian Liver Foundation survey are as follows: the number of respondents who knew hepatitis was a liver disease was 46 per cent, compared with 31 per cent who believed it to be a blood borne infection; 10 per cent believed it to be a sexually transmitted disease; four per cent believed it to be a form of food poisoning; and seven per cent weren’t sure. Regarding risk levels, the survey revealed that 54 per cent of respondents believe they are at low risk for contracting hepatitis, with 61 per cent of men aged 18-34 years putting themselves at low risk, while 24 per cent of women in the same age range believe their risk to be moderately high.For more information, visit: www.liver.ca

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