Professor Tatiana Pollinina, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at the European Medical Center School of Medicine, announced that 80% of hepatitis cases develop asymptomatic.

In an interview with the newspaper “Izvestia” on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, the professor points out that hepatitis is caused by viruses, the most dangerous of which are hepatitis B and C, which are transmitted through blood and body fluids.

The doctor cites the estimates of the World Health Organization, according to which 296 million people in the world suffer from chronic viral hepatitis B, and 58 million suffer from chronic viral hepatitis C. Hepatitis B kills 820 thousand people annually and hepatitis C kills 290 thousand people annually.

She adds, there is a widespread myth that people who lead an incorrect lifestyle develop hepatitis. But this is not true. Because hepatitis B and C are transmitted through the blood, and everyone is at risk of contracting the disease, through injections, and cosmetic procedures, including manicures, tattoos, etc.; As well as by injecting drugs into a vein. Sometimes through sexual relations and from a mother to her child.

She says, “It is possible to get infected with the disease in the dental clinic, if the devices and equipment used are not well sterilized, especially since the hepatitis C virus has a high resistance. It is also possible to contract the disease during the blood transfusion process, and this is currently very rare. The disease can be transmitted during Childbirth is 5-10 percent, but this percentage rises to 14-16 percent if the mother suffers from HIV and hepatitis C.”

And, she adds, 80 percent of cases develop hepatitis B and C without symptoms. The duration of the acute period of hepatitis C ranges from two weeks to six months. After that, if the virus remains in the blood, the disease progresses to the chronic stage.

The expert notes that the most common symptoms that the patient feels in the acute period of the disease are: malaise, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, fever, muscle and joint pain, and urine becomes dark. Yellowing of the skin and jaundice can also be observed in the case of hepatitis B infection, but this is rarely observed in hepatitis C infection, which can progress to cirrhosis of the liver and to liver cancer. It also increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney disease, etc. by 2-3 times.

She says, “In no case should we postpone treatment of hepatitis C, even for a year. Because the delay in the fight against hepatitis C, the spread of infection is accelerating. That is why the slogan of this year’s World Hepatitis Day is ‘I can’t wait!”‘ According to European recommendations, hepatitis C can be treated with interferon-free drugs – direct antiviral drugs (in the form of tablets).”

She adds that, although hepatitis C is completely treatable, it is still a serious disease from a social point of view.