A seminar dedicated to modern methods of diagnosis and therapy for hepatitis B and D was held in Bishkek.
Ulan Sarymsakov, a clinical expert from the Republican Center for the Control of Hematogenic Viral Hepatitis and HIV, presented key information about hepatitis B and D, including their transmission routes, symptoms, and treatment methods.
Hepatitis B: What is it?
According to the expert, hepatitis B is a viral disease that affects the liver, causing both acute and chronic forms of the disease.
He also noted that according to the World Health Organization, in 2022, 254 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B, with an annual addition of 1.2 million new cases.
Sarymsakov added that hepatitis B was responsible for approximately 1.1 million deaths in 2022, mainly due to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer).
The specialist emphasized that it is possible to prevent hepatitis B with safe and effective vaccines.
Hepatitis D: Important Facts
Sarymsakov pointed out that the hepatitis D virus can only cause disease in those already infected with the hepatitis B virus.
According to his estimates, among patients with chronic hepatitis B, about 5% (approximately 12 million people) are infected with the hepatitis D virus.
He also noted that patients on hemodialysis and individuals who use injectable drugs are at high risk for co-infection with hepatitis B and D.
The chronic form of hepatitis D infection is considered the most severe, as it can lead to faster progression of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
How Hepatitis is Transmitted
Sarymsakov explained that hepatitis B can be transmitted in the following ways:
- perinatally from mother to child (70-90%);
- through blood (for example, through needle sticks up to 30%);
- sexually (up to 5-30%).
As for hepatitis D, the risk of infection exists only in people with hepatitis B. In rare cases, the virus can be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth. The main risk of infection is contact with the blood or biological fluids of an infected person. Sexual transmission is possible but less common than with hepatitis B. Vaccination against hepatitis B can prevent co-infection with the hepatitis D virus.
Sarymsakov reiterated the importance of vaccination against hepatitis B to prevent infection with the hepatitis D virus.
Symptoms
According to the specialist, primary infection with hepatitis B often occurs without symptoms. However, some patients may experience signs such as jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
In severe cases, acute hepatitis can lead to liver failure. Most patients recover on their own, although in some cases chronic hepatitis may develop, as well as complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Sarymsakov noted that simultaneous infection with hepatitis D and B can cause severe forms of the disease resembling acute hepatitis B.
Severe cases develop infrequently, and chronic hepatitis D occurs in less than 5% of cases of acute hepatitis. Superinfection with hepatitis D in patients with chronic hepatitis B accelerates the progression of liver cirrhosis.
Treatment Methods
Sarymsakov emphasized that there is no specific therapy for acute hepatitis B. For the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, medications such as tenofovir, tenofovir alafenamide, and entecavir are used, and often therapy continues for a lifetime. More than 50% of patients with chronic hepatitis B require treatment.
As for hepatitis D, until recently, the main treatment method was pegylated interferon therapy, which showed low effectiveness and many side effects.
In 2023, the European Medicines Agency approved a new drug bulevirtide — a viral entry inhibitor for hepatocytes, which is administered subcutaneously once a day. The use of tenofovir and entecavir for therapy is also possible.
The specialist reminded about the free diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination against hepatitis B and C available at the level of public practice centers and the Center for Specialized Medical Care.
