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Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication

Hepatitis is often called a ‘silent killer’ as most patients remain asymptomatic and hence remain unaware of their illness. They are either diagnosed incidentally or get symptomatic when their illness advances years after getting the infection. In Pakistan, transmission has increased due to ignoranc...

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Autores principales: Ochani, Sidhant, Ochani, Khushi, Ochani, Amrita, Vohra, Laiba Imran, Ochani, Simran, Hasibuzzaman, Md. Al, Ullah, Kaleem
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10617882/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37915649
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001280
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author Ochani, Sidhant
Ochani, Khushi
Ochani, Amrita
Vohra, Laiba Imran
Ochani, Simran
Hasibuzzaman, Md. Al
Ullah, Kaleem
author_facet Ochani, Sidhant
Ochani, Khushi
Ochani, Amrita
Vohra, Laiba Imran
Ochani, Simran
Hasibuzzaman, Md. Al
Ullah, Kaleem
author_sort Ochani, Sidhant
collection PubMed
description Hepatitis is often called a ‘silent killer’ as most patients remain asymptomatic and hence remain unaware of their illness. They are either diagnosed incidentally or get symptomatic when their illness advances years after getting the infection. In Pakistan, transmission has increased due to ignorance of sterilization techniques, sharing personal items, and unsafe healthcare practices and the burden of liver cancers and transplants has risen three-fold during the past 20 years. Chronic hepatitis often goes undetected, leading to a rise in liver cancers and transplants. Pakistan bears the second-largest burden of hepatitis C globally, with a nationwide prevalence of 4.8%. From 2015 to 2019, there was a 5% increase in hepatitis C-related deaths and an 8% increase in hepatitis B-related deaths. During the last 4 years, out of the 110 million population, only 281 578 individuals were screened for hepatitis B and C, and 1 634 614 individuals were registered at various hepatitis clinics. However, only 278 308 patients were treated. Despite a national vaccination strategy, coverage falls short, and regular screening is neglected. The burden of hepatitis-related morbidity is a considerable challenge for the Pakistani government and healthcare system, being a low-income country with limited health resources and limited access to treatment. Increased awareness, education, and emphasizing preventive measures, such as hepatitis B vaccination, is crucial. Careful supervision of healthcare workers and the promotion of safe practices are essential. Pakistan can learn and implement the Egypt model to combat hepatitis effectively. This article aims to discuss barriers and challenges and provides possible recommendations.
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spelling pubmed-106178822023-11-01 Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication Ochani, Sidhant Ochani, Khushi Ochani, Amrita Vohra, Laiba Imran Ochani, Simran Hasibuzzaman, Md. Al Ullah, Kaleem Ann Med Surg (Lond) Short Communications Hepatitis is often called a ‘silent killer’ as most patients remain asymptomatic and hence remain unaware of their illness. They are either diagnosed incidentally or get symptomatic when their illness advances years after getting the infection. In Pakistan, transmission has increased due to ignorance of sterilization techniques, sharing personal items, and unsafe healthcare practices and the burden of liver cancers and transplants has risen three-fold during the past 20 years. Chronic hepatitis often goes undetected, leading to a rise in liver cancers and transplants. Pakistan bears the second-largest burden of hepatitis C globally, with a nationwide prevalence of 4.8%. From 2015 to 2019, there was a 5% increase in hepatitis C-related deaths and an 8% increase in hepatitis B-related deaths. During the last 4 years, out of the 110 million population, only 281 578 individuals were screened for hepatitis B and C, and 1 634 614 individuals were registered at various hepatitis clinics. However, only 278 308 patients were treated. Despite a national vaccination strategy, coverage falls short, and regular screening is neglected. The burden of hepatitis-related morbidity is a considerable challenge for the Pakistani government and healthcare system, being a low-income country with limited health resources and limited access to treatment. Increased awareness, education, and emphasizing preventive measures, such as hepatitis B vaccination, is crucial. Careful supervision of healthcare workers and the promotion of safe practices are essential. Pakistan can learn and implement the Egypt model to combat hepatitis effectively. This article aims to discuss barriers and challenges and provides possible recommendations. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2023-09-05 /pmc/articles/PMC10617882/ /pubmed/37915649 http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001280 Text en Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
spellingShingle Short Communications
Ochani, Sidhant
Ochani, Khushi
Ochani, Amrita
Vohra, Laiba Imran
Ochani, Simran
Hasibuzzaman, Md. Al
Ullah, Kaleem
Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication
title Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication
title_full Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication
title_fullStr Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication
title_full_unstemmed Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication
title_short Hepatitis is still a major health concern in Pakistan: short communication
title_sort hepatitis is still a major health concern in pakistan: short communication
topic Short Communications
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10617882/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37915649
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000001280
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