Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most often caused by a virus
but sometimes by drug or alcohol abuse, other infections, or autoimmune
diseases (getty images)
Virus-caused hepatitis has become a leading cause of death and
disability in the world, killing more people in a year than AIDS,
tuberculosis or malaria, a report said Thursday.
Deaths
from infection, liver disease and cancer caused by viral hepatitis
increased by 63 percent from 890,000 in 1990 to 1.45 million in 2013,
according to a review of data collected in 183 countries.
By
comparison, in 2013 there were 1.3 million deaths from AIDS, 1.4
million from tuberculosis, and 855,000 from malaria, said the report,
published in The Lancet.
"Whereas
deaths from many infectious diseases -- such as TB and malaria -- have
dropped since 1990, viral hepatitis deaths have risen," said study
leader Graham Cooke from Imperial College London's medicine department.
Hepatitis
is an inflammation of the liver, most often caused by a virus but
sometimes by drug or alcohol abuse, other infections, or autoimmune
diseases.
There are five main types, known as A, B, C, D and E.
According
to the World Health Organization, types A and E are typically
transmitted via contaminated food or water, while B, C and D usually
occur from contact with body fluids of an infected person.
An
estimated 95 percent of people are unaware of their infection, though
treating hepatitis B and C can prevent the development of chronic liver
disease.
Ninety-six
percent of hepatitis deaths counted in the review were caused by types B
and C, said the researchers. Most hepatitis deaths occurred in east and
south Asia.
"We
have tools at our disposal to treat this disease -- we have vaccines to
hepatitis A and B and we have new treatments to C," for which there is
no vaccine, said Cooke.
"However the price of new medicines is beyond the reach of any country -- rich or poor."
The
review concluded with a call for a change in funding structures to
"allow effective responses in low-income and lower-middle-income
countries." (yahoo health)
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