A hepatitis C test can prevent serious long-term illness

• According to the Dominican Society of Gastroenterology, around 100,000 people in the Dominican Republic are estimated to have hepatitis C, and 90% of them don’t know it.

July 2022, Santo Domingo. – Early testing and treatment for hepatitis C could help the 71 million people worldwide living with the disease and prevent long-term health problems such as liver disease and cancer, explains Dr. Omar Massoud, head of Hepatology at Cleveland Clinic, to mark World Hepatitis Day on 28 July.

“Everyone should be tested for Hepatitis C, the most common but also the deadliest form of hepatitis. The challenge is that most people don’t realise they have hepatitis C, as the disease often has no symptoms. If patients with hepatitis C aren’t tested, they can’t be treated, and if they don’t seek treatment, they may be at risk of serious liver disease, liver cancer, needing a liver transplant or even death. By the time they have symptoms and seek treatment for cirrhosis, it may be too late.”

Hepatitis C is often caused by unsafe injection practices or poor healthcare.

Although antiviral medicines can cure around 95 per cent of hepatitis C infections, many people who contract the disease live in low- and middle-income countries that may face challenges in diagnosis and treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to reduce new hepatitis infections by 90 per cent and deaths by 65 per cent by 2030.

“Bringing hepatitis care closer to you” is the theme the WHO has chosen for World Hepatitis Day 2022. According to its latest estimates, every year across the Region of the Americas there are 67,000 new hepatitis C virus infections and 84,000 deaths. Only 22% of people with chronic hepatitis C are diagnosed, and only 18% of them receive treatment.

The approach to hepatitis C has improved enormously over the last five years, stressed Dr. Massoud. “The good news is that more than ninety per cent of hepatitis C cases are cured in two or three months,” he said. “Patients with hepatitis no longer need injections; they only need to take simple, easy and safe capsules with few or no side effects.”

Currently, vaccines exist only for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, which can be treated with medication.

Dr. Massoud also highlighted the challenges for pregnant mothers with hepatitis, especially hepatitis B and C. Mothers with hepatitis B almost always pass it on to their children. Pregnant mothers with hepatitis B should be assessed and treated to reduce the chance of transmission, and their infants should also be vaccinated. For mothers with hepatitis C, there is a very low probability, around 5 per cent, of passing the virus on to their children, who would then need treatment.

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About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical centre that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based on the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States.

Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 72,500 employees worldwide are more than 5,050 salaried physicians and researchers, and 17,800 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties.

Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.

 

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