^{17,500.000 Millions of Peoples in Indonesia Suffers from Chronic Hepatitis (Cont'n)}

How is hepatitis B life-threatening?

    Without appropriate management and screening, one in four hepatitis B carriers (25%) dies from liver cancer or cirrhosis (liver damage leading to scarring and eventually death from liver failure). Some develop cancer as early as 30 years of age. Every year, approximately one million people worldwide die from the disease because they are diagnosed past the point where current treatment can be effective. Because so many carriers feel perfectly healthy even with early liver cancer, the disease can progress without the carrier even knowing. When symptoms do appear, it is often only at the late stages of their disease. All chronic hepatitis B carriers, whether they feel healthy or sick, are at risk for developing liver cancer or cirrhosis. Finding the cancer when it is small by regular screening remains the best chance of surviving liver cancer.

    Hepatitis B is one of the largest health threats for Asians. Thus it is important for all APIs to be checked for hepatitis B and vaccinated if not previously exposed. Because hepatitis B is the major cause of liver cancer, the hepatitis B vaccine, which prevents hepatitis B infection, is also regarded as "the first anti-cancer vaccine." Most people who are infected with the hep C virus go on to develop chronic hep C. The infection becomes chronic (long-lasting) because the body’s immune system is unable to fight it off. You might think that such a condition would make you feel sicker and sicker over time. However, for many people, hep C is an asymptomatic condition—which means they may not experience symptoms for many years after they are infected. No one can tell you now whether or not you will have symptoms in the future.ture.ture.ture.

Here’s the tricky part: a lack of symptoms does not mean that hep C stops attacking liver.

    The virus can stay active in the body without producing recognizable symptoms. In fact, some people experience no symptoms that they are aware of until significant liver damage has occurred.

    The hep C virus attacks liver cells and uses them as a host to reproduce itself. When the body attempts to fight the virus, it sends lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) to the liver, which results in inflammation (swelling). This inflammation is a normal response to infection, but over time this process, and certain chemicals released by the lymphocytes, can damage liver cells.
    When the liver cells are damaged, they cannot function well and may die. Some of these cells may grow back, but severe injury may lead to fibrosis (a buildup of scar tissue on the liver). Fibrosis slows down the liver's ability to circulate blood and remove toxins.

    Treatment may help prevent further damage or reduce progression of the condition. However, the longer treatment is delayed, the more likely significant and permanent liver damage will occur. Over time, hardened scar tissue can replace large amounts of normal liver tissue. This condition, called cirrhosis, seriously impairs the liver's ability to function. As a result, blood that cannot pass freely through the liver may back up into the spleen, and this may lead to the destruction of healthy blood cells. In addition, the liver may not be able to produce enough bile to aid in the handling of nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, and most fats. If the liver is damaged, there are some important steps that canbe taken to keep the undamaged cells as healthy as possible.

^_End_