Fewer and fewer Bulgarians are being tested for hepatitis C. Last year, only 700 people did so. However, doctors estimate that about 87,000 Bulgarians are infected without suspecting it, bTV reported.
Hepatitis C is an asymptomatic disease, we can live with it for 20-30 years. And without understanding, it can seriously damage our liver. Such is the case of Elisaveta Hermes. During a routine examination and blood tests, she realized that she was ill.
“I was scared because it’s something I don’t know what it is – it’s contagious, it doesn’t say anything in my body, there are no pains and symptoms, nothing – you’re just a healthy person. And it was a shock that I had hepatitis C, ”says Elizabeth.
Hepatitis C is the first cause of liver cancer and cirrhosis, says Prof. Krassimir Antonov from St. Ivan Rilski ”.
“This is an example that when a person does not know, he comes to the doctor, when he has cirrhosis, if it is very advanced, it is not reversible, even if we expel the virus, the disease progresses, unfortunately, a person can die from cirrhosis of the liver.” , says Prof. Antonov.
In Bulgaria, hepatitis C is diagnosed twice less often than in Europe. From August 2 to 31, everyone can be examined free of charge at the Gastroenterology Clinic at the University Hospital. And the treatment is covered by the Health Insurance Fund.
“Don’t wait – take it health in their own hands “, calls Prof. Krassimir Antonov.
The insidious disease is not only a test, but also a life lesson for Elizabeth: “Health is not a gift to us, we must do something for it.”
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