(Taiwan English News/Comprehensive foreign report by Zhu Mingzhu) According to the new recommendations issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this Thursday (9th), regardless of whether there is a risk of infection, it is recommended that adults receive type B at least once in their lives. Hepatitis testing. This is the first time the CDC has updated its guidelines on liver B screening since 2008.
[廣告] please read on
Hepatitis B and C are the main causes of chronic liver disease for hundreds of millions of people around the world, and are also the most common causes of cirrhosis, liver cancer and hepatitis-related deaths. Therefore, to eradicate liver diseases must start with increasing the screening rate.
Hepatitis B is a global disease. Since the main route of infection is that the blood and body fluids infected by the hepatitis B virus enter the human body through the skin or mucous membranes, it can be divided into mother-to-child transmission and horizontal infection. Therefore, in the past, the CDC only recommended screening for high-risk groups, including injecting drug users, pregnant women, and HIV-infected people.
But now this change proves that it is no longer enough to appeal to high-risk groups for screening. After all, active screening and timely treatment during the hepatitis stage can greatly reduce liver damage, and reduce the risk of hepatitis and death.
In addition, CDC has added three high-risk groups for hepatitis B, including prison inmates, inmates in detention facilities (whether they are in custody or have been released from prison); those with a history of sexually transmitted infections or multiple sexual partners; and those with a history of hepatitis C infection. of patients.
The CDC stated that do not ignore valuable screening opportunities because of misunderstandings or fear of being stigmatized. Most liver diseases have no obvious symptoms, and people are prone to delay seeking medical treatment due to lack of vigilance.
【Encyclopedia of Liver B】
In Taiwan, chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer are mainly caused by hepatitis B and C virus infection, but about two-thirds of the carriers do not know that they are carriers, and the liver has no nerves, so they often wait until Seek medical attention only at the end stage of liver disease.
After infection with hepatitis, the incubation period is about 3 months. Most people are asymptomatic, but a small number of people will have abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite, general weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, jaundice (such as yellow skin and whites of eyes), tea-colored urine, etc. situation. Chronic carriers often have no symptoms or only appear easily tired and tired.
The National Health Service began in August 2008 to provide people who were born after the 55th year of the Republic of China (inclusive) and aged 45 and above, with adult preventive health care services, to receive one-time hepatitis B and C screening services for life. Since June 1, 2018 At first, people with aboriginal status aged 40 to 60 can be combined with adult preventive health care services and receive life-long hepatitis B and C screening services.
Those who do not meet the qualifications for adult preventive health care examinations and have not yet undergone hepatitis B and C screening can use the adult preventive health care services provided by the National Health Service (every 3 years for 40-60 years old, and once a year for those over 65 years old 1 time), carry out liver function “GPT, GOT and other items” checks, and those who have abnormal liver function can receive the necessary viral hepatitis test, follow-up and treatment according to the doctor’s advice, so as to avoid becoming chronic Liver disease and cirrhosis.
