Be aware of Hepatitis

Bangalore: As per World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, India is amongst the top 11 countries which carry the global burden of chronic hepatitis. Since, it accounts for a huge burden of illness, outbreaks and epidemic spread, resulting in increased death cases, the disease is one of the greatest concerns all over the world.

Keeping this in mind doctors from Columbia Asia Hospital are creating awareness on ‘World Hepatitis Day’.

“The five main types of hepatitis virus include A, B, C, D and E. Infection by any of these viruses can lead to inflammation of liver and some infections can lead to liver cirrhosis or cancer. Based on the symptoms, a physical examination is done to check the enlargement of liver, skin colour and presence of fluid in the abdomen followed by a suitable antibacterial treatment. Awareness and early diagnosis is key to patient treatment as the infection can be difficult to cure at later stage,” said Dr. Govind Nandakumar, Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery & GI Oncosurgery, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Bangalore.