VIRAL HEPATITIS

Viral hepatitis is a systematic disease with primary inflammation of the liver by any one of a heterogeneous group of hepatogenic viruses. Meanwhile, it is mostly asymptomatic. Hence, several millions of people with viral hepatitis are not aware of it.

This prompted the World Hepatitis Alliance to launch a project which is aimed at finding the millions of people who have hepatitis but are not aware of it, by encouraging everyone to go for Hepatitis Screening.

Nigeria has an approximate 19million people living with hepatitis with a prevalence of 8.1% living with Hepatitis B and 1.1% living with Hepatitis C (NAIIS, 2020).

The most common types of viral hepatitis are the five unrelated hepatotropic viruses: Hepatitis A virus (HAV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis D Virus (HDV), and Hepatitis E Virus (HEV). HAV and HEV are transmitted by faeco-oral route (from faeces to mouth) in cases of poor hygiene and poor sanitation practices. HBV, HCV and HDV are transmitted through unscreened blood transfusion, unsterilized surgical equipment, sharing of sharp objects, unprotected sex and from mother to child during delivery.

The two types of Hepatitis that are major public health problems are Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C could lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer if it is not diagnosed and treated early. Hepatitis B has no cure but can be prevented through vaccination and healthy lifestyle practices, proper screening of blood before transfusion. Meanwhile, Hepatitis C has no effective vaccine yet, but can be cured with certain medications.

Laboratory diagnosis of Viral Hepatitis involves Immunoelectron Microscopy, Serology (using Dipstick strips and ELISA for antibody detection), Biochemical tests (to test for Enzymes, Bilirubin, Protein), Molecular Diagnosis (using PCR to detect viral DNA), Histology and Liver Biopsy.

Visit MedBioTechLab for your Hepatitis screening, even if you are healthy. We offer precise and reliable test results.

References:

https://www.bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com

https://www.hepb.org

https://www.theconversation.com