Hepatitis - Blog

Fruits and Glucose D to cure hepatitis within 7 days? - My response According to an advanced African traditional medical company Ltd article, I read, trending on social media, promised cure for acute and chronic hepatitis being offered to persons in Nigeria, that have hepatitis. I understand from the article that several persons are parting with 40,000 NGN (more than the monthly income of an average Nigerian), in order to get cured of their hepatitis. Many others are asking for locations of this treatment centres so they can go there for cure. The proponents of this treatment claim that those seeking treatments need to try them to see the outcome. They actually published their Corporate Affairs Commission certificate on the social network site for people to accept their authenticity. An intelligent person asked a genuine question regarding the disparity of their claims and those of clinical literature. Their response was even more surprising! Instead of providing the evident-ba...

Cirrhosis Image Definition and simple introduction. Cirrhosis is a medical terminology used to describe the liver, when the healthy liver tissue has been replaced by a mass of scar, non-functional tissues. When this happens, the liver is hard, nodular and smaller than usual. The function of the liver is initially sustained by attempts at regeneration of the liver cells. However, this attempt is not sustainable and the patient finally succumbs to inability to maintain the functions of the liver. In some instances, the liver fails and or liver cancer develops. It is important to note that cirrhosis is the commonest predisposing cause of liver cancer. What are the causes of cirrhosis? Cirrhosis is caused by several factors, among which are: Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Alcoholic liver disease Non alcoholic steatohepatitis Drugs Genetic abnormalities such as haemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency Read other posts in the blog to gain more knowledg...

How does one know one has hepatitis? Most cases of hepatitis present with no symptoms. In other words, they are detected to have the virus when they go for routine tests eg pre operative testing or to donate blood for transfusion. Some people who have some form of hepatitis feel like they have the common cold. Some of these flu-like symptoms include: weakness, tiredness, and nausea. Other people have yellow skin or dark-colored urine. Which hepatitis is curable? Hepatitis A, E and C are curable, but hepatitis B is preventable by vaccination. Hepatitis B is not curable, but it is treatable with good outcomes. Research is ongoing for cure of hepatitis B.(you can check on this blog regularly for updates). Can one get hepatitis C or B from kissing? Hepatitis B or C cannot be transmitted through casual contact such asa sharing cups, eating utensils with an infected person. Holding hands, kissing and hugging are not recognised means of transmission of hepatitis B or C. Ho...

Several people have been so scared about the likelihood of death from hepatitis that they do not undertake the screening test for hepatitis. They play the ostrich that buries itself in the sand, hoping that since it cannot see itself, the predator doesn't see it. In other words, ignorance is bliss. I guess you have been itching to know the answer to above question. NO And YES, are both correct. No, if you know about your status early enough for either monitoring or treatment. Not everyone is at risk of being found positive for hepatitis infection. Among the risk factors are the following : Previous history of use of unsterile surgical instrument Having a family member with diagnosis of hepatitis B or C If you have had multiple sexual contacts Being African Intravenous drug use Being born to a mother with hepatitis etc. Yes, if you ignore checking up and then presenting with late complications such as cirrhosis and or liver cancer. The chance of developing th...

Pregnant mothers who take too much caffeinated drinks could be damaging the livers of their babies. Too much coffee drinking by pregnant mothers has been linked to impaired liver development in babies (whilst in the womb) and then increases risk of liver disease in adulthood. This was the outcome of clinical research work published in the journal of Endocrinology. More work needs to be done to establish causal relationships. However, it is postulated that the mechanism of damage is due to altered stress and growth hormone productions as a response to caffeine. There seems to be a dose response proportionality of this problem, as the observational study found that if caffeine is consumed at an equivalent amount of 2-3cups/day, there results commensurate higher incidence of liver disease risk. Read about the research by following the link below: Caffeine in Pregnancy - effect on the liver of the baby

Best diet for patients with hepatitis. In my practice, I am often asked to recommend diets for various types of clinical conditions. One of those diseases is hepatitis B and C. It is particularly important that traditional beliefs have led to avoidance of essential nutrients, thus complicating the management of the condition. Below, you will find information that could provide guidance regarding my dietary recommendations for patients diagnosed with hepatitis; either B or C: In general, those diagnosed with chronic viral hepatitis and who have not developed severe complications, such as end stage liver damage do not need to limit their dietary intake (with the assumption that they were on balanced diets before diagnosis). If they are in doubt, the following is a rough guide: Proteins: Do not limit protein intake. If you do, you are likely to loose your muscle protein, thereby complicating your ability to fight your infection. Lean protein diets such as fish, chicken (skinless...

Does Hepatitis B always kill? It is not uncommon for patients to go into a frenzy when they are informed about their hepatitis blood test results. Several persons make unwise decisions and or get severely depressed. The bottom line is the fact that there is no cure, at present for hepatitis B. However, several treatment regimes are available to treat this viral infection. The goal of treatment is to manage the symptoms the patient presents with as well as reduce the risk of long-term health problems, such as scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and liver cancer. If anyone has hepatitis B, and they are not eligible for treatment at the time of diagnosis, the advice is to get a blood test every 6 months to monitor the viral load and the health of the liver. The question remains whether hepatitis B always lead to death. The answer to that question is an emphatic No! Clinical research has shown that when patients with chronic hepatitis B were followed up over a long time, the followi...

There are several reasons to explain the disparities observed regarding the presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of viral hepatitis in African countries. About 100 million persons are infected with chronic hepatitis viruses across Africa. The resources for care of this infection are however limited in supply in these economically deprived areas of the world. Some reasons that have been suggested to be responsible for these differences include: Lack of accurate epidemiological data. Weak health systems. Blood transfusion systems are lagging behind western peers, in regards to optimised pre-transfusion screening. Proliferation of alternative medical practice, claiming cures of the viral infection. Lack of adequate coverage in terms of provision of education to health care professionals. Read More about the hidden epidemic of Africa

You need to Know Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver. In some cases, during the healing process, it can cause scarring of the liver (known as cirrhosis), liver failure, and cancer. It can be fatal if it isn't treated (this is not in all cases!). It is spread in the same way HIV is transmitted. It's spread when people come in contact with the blood, open sores, or body fluids of someone who has the hepatitis B virus. Luckily, there exists a potent vaccine against hepatitis B, as well as effective treatment. Read More Other items you may wish to read: Treatment Eligibility for chronic hepatitis B

Claims of cure of hepatitis B by combinations of multivitamins There has been claims of what many have unfortunately, accepted as truth, regarding the use of multivitamins for curing hepatitis B. A lot of ignorant people have been deceived into parting with their resources in order to pay up bills for such treatment. Current evidence, that has been scientifically and clinically proven to treat chronic hepatitis B does not approve the use of vitamin combinations. Two forms of treatment are currently available globally: Oral tablets - these are antivirals, prescribed according to set out criteria. Injectable medicine - this is administered subcutaneouly (under the skin). Read more articles to understand the criteria and current treatment. Alternatively, access more help via this android app below. Liver Health App Studies regarding the efficacy of multivitamins in the treatment of hepatitis did not confirm that this approach is effective. You can read more Vitamins in the...

Not everyone that has chronic hepatitis B (hepatitis B lasting more than 6 months) would require treatment. According to WHO publication of July 2019, only 1-4 out of every 10 persons infected by hepatitis B will require treatment. Why is this? There are robust criteria that have been internationally agreed, which needs to be fulfilled before treatment for hepatitis B is administered. These criteria are simplified as follows: Liver enzyme, ALT of greater than 60U/mL in men and 38U/mL in women, regardless of HBeAg status. HBV DNA (viral load) of greater than 20,000IU/mL In some instances, any elevation of ALT would do, especially, if there is significant stiffening of the liver detected at scan. When followed up, research has shown that 30% of those that did not fulfill treatment eligibility became eligible within 3 years. Above underlies the importance of regular follow up.

On behalf of all those that have waited for information regarding expert management of hepatitis, I welcome all of you to this blogger page. You will have opportunity to read, contribute by way of comments as well as ask questions from experts. Here, you can be confident to find authentic information from the most experienced experts regarding public intervention, diagnosis and treatment of liver related diseases. You will be updated with world class information as they happen. Follow me on this blogger page for more to come! Please comment and let us know what you would like to see and or read on this blog Thanking you! Nimzing Ladep, MBBS, FWACP, PhD (IC London) Consultant in Gastroenterology