Liver disease: Education key to better life quality<\/p>\n
The Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL)
\nhas concluded its 15th conference with a number of breakthrough
\ntreatments and updates on liver-related diseases being discussed.
\nThe Jakarta Post's Emmy Fitri, invited by PT Roche Indonesia,
\nparticipated in the four-day conference held in Nusa Dua, Bali
\nfrom Aug. 18 through Aug. 21.<\/p>\n
Novel medicines and breakthrough treatments being sought by
\nresearchers and specialists all over the world would be futile if
\npublic was not properly educated about the importance of health
\nissues.<\/p>\n
But it would be worse if government health policy did not give
\na clear indication of how health issues were to be managed.
\nAdequate information dissemination concerning prevention and help
\ncenters, issuance of health insurance and access to hospitals
\ncould only be achieved with strong political will and a
\nreasonable budget.<\/p>\n
Preventive measures like maintaining hygiene, sanitation and a
\nhealthy diet must be part of people's daily lifestyles -- basic
\nand affordable ways to remain healthy. But in some cases,
\ncarriers of certain diseases, although have lived healthy
\nlifestyles, can still be contract ailments.<\/p>\n
For special cases, people susceptible to getting certain
\ndiseases must be aware of the need for early detections.<\/p>\n
PT Roche Indonesia, for example, provides a toll-free hotline
\nfor people curious to know about every aspect of hepatitis C. The
\nservice can be reached on 0-800-140-3063. The company's president
\ndirector Ait-Allah Mejri said, \"It's part of our commitment to
\nprovide health education to the public.\"<\/p>\n
Through education, he said, the public would be more aware of
\ntheir condition and could be critical of the services they get.<\/p>\n
\"We welcome the public to ask us any questions about hepatitis
\nC through this toll-free number,\" he said. The service was
\nlaunched last year during a commemoration to mark Hepatitis C
\nNational Day on Sept. 16.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Matei Popescu, Roche International's medical
\ndirector, said that a number of studies were underway to respond
\nto the enormous progress in the last 10 years for diseases like
\nhepatitis C, hepatitis B and also HIV.<\/p>\n
Popescu mentioned among others, the Accelerate Study that
\ninvolved 1,400 patients in 132 centers in 15 countries. This
\nstudy aimed to see the most effective combination of medicines to
\nfight hepatitis C virus (HCV).<\/p>\n
Another study was CHIPS, or Chronic Hepatitis C International
\nPediatric Study, which involved 10,900 patients from 50
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
\"We would like to see if the medication for adults can work as
\neffectively as it worked for children,\" Popescu said.<\/p>\n
Hemophiliac children were prone to get HCV if the blood
\ndonation screening was not properly done, he said.<\/p>\n
Professor Chen Ding-shinn from Taiwan, who delivered a lecture
\non state-of-the art immunization strategies for control of
\nhepatitis B in the Asia-Pacific region at the APASL conference,
\nstressed the urgency of immunization\/vaccination to decrease the
\nmortality in cancer because of advanced or untreated hepatitis B.<\/p>\n
Hepatitis B was transmitted mainly through blood transmission
\nsuch as maternal-infant or infected blood donations.<\/p>\n
Newborns from mothers with hepatitis B must be given first
\ndose vaccines within seven days after birth and this vaccination
\nwould give long-term protection.<\/p>\n
\"It is essential because worldwide there are 3 million people
\ndying every year of diseases that are preventable by vaccine,
\nincluding from hepatitis B,\" Ding-shinn said.<\/p>\n
And the high cost of vaccine and immunization could be tackled
\nas there are 75 countries grouped in the Global Alliance for
\nVaccine and Immunization. Among others, the goal of this alliance
\nwas to give out hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines to people
\nsusceptible to the disease such as intravenous drug users and
\nhomosexuals.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Ali Sulaiman, hepatologist with Cipto Mangunkusumo
\nHospital in Jakarta, mentioned how people living in riverine
\nneighborhoods were prone to get hepatitis E virus if they did not
\npay attention to sanitation.<\/p>\n
There was little data about outbreak of this water-borne virus
\nthat directly attacks people's liver.<\/p>\n
Ali gave 'old' data on two riverine towns of Sintang in West
\nKalimantan and Bondowoso in East Java. The outbreaks in Sintang
\ntook place in 1987 and again in 1991, while in Bondowoso it
\noccurred in 1998.<\/p>\n
So far, the outbreaks had been contained, but he strongly
\nbelieved that many cases escaped health officials' monitoring
\nbecause physicians were generally not aware of this virus, and
\ncould misdiagnose patients with hepatitis E virus with other
\nailments.<\/p>\n
A vaccine for hepatitis E had not yet been developed but Ali
\nsaid, \"The only way to have this disease contained and not return
\nis through education.\"<\/p>\n
\"People wash and bathe in rivers and they also drink river
\nwater without boiling it. Education therefore is the key to keep
\naway from this disease,\" he said on the sidelines of his
\npresentation on the outbreak of hepatitis E in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Radiologist Prijo Sidipratomo also emphasized the need for
\npublic to be aware of an emerging disease called Budd Chiari
\nsyndrome. Tracking the history of Budd Chiari patients, most were
\nfemales and who had been using oral contraceptives for years.<\/p>\n
There was not yet any official data on how this disease was
\ncontracted whose symptoms were similar to other liver diseases.
\n\"I guess there are a number of patients who are diagnosed with
\njust liver disease but in this disease the function of the liver
\nincreases and its excessive work can lead to liver damage and
\nalso cirrhosis and death,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Throughout Indonesia, there were only two clinics, according
\nto Prijo, that had the US$17 million MD CT (an advanced version
\nof CT Scan) which could give clear images of a damaged liver. The
\ntwo clinics were the Waringin Clinic in Central Jakarta and
\nprivately run Gading Pluit Hospital.<\/p>\n
Studies were ongoing to reveal the causes and the possible
\nways of preventing it.<\/p>\n
Elinor Levy and Mark Fischetti reached a perfect conclusion in
\ntheir new book The New Killer Diseases when they said, \"More
\nresearch, a more dynamic public-health system and many of the
\nother steps we must take to improve our odds require greater
\nfunding, much of it from government sources.\"<\/p>\n
\"That, of course, puts the fight against infectious diseases
\nin heavy competition with numerous other social and health-care
\ncauses.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/liver-disease-education-key-to-better-life-quality-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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