Preventive measures are necessary to eliminate Hepatitis from the country, said Executive Director of Pakistan Institution of Medical Sciences (Pims) Dr Abdul Majeed Rajput while addressing doctors, nurses and paramedical staff and postgraduate residents on World Hepatitis Day, here on Monday.
He said research is the key to success in the prevention and treatment of diseases like hepatitis. Everyone should come forward and help in educating the people about the prevention measures. He appreciated the role of the media in educating the people about various diseases like hepatitis.
He informed participants that about 3 percent of the patients coming to PIMS emergency department have hepatitis complications like bleeding from mouth, vomiting of blood, water in the abdomen(ascites), coma, drowsiness and kidney failure.
"Twenty percent of patients suffering from Hepatitis C comes in the PIMS with vomiting of blood and are treated by injecting medicines in the bleeding vessel of esophagus(diet tube) by endoscopy", he said.
Dr Waseem Khawaja assistant director PIMS, said that 50 percent of patients with gastroenterology are suffering from various liver diseases like Hepatitis. Dr Rizwan Qazi, Associate Professor of medicine, said under ordinary circumstances none of the Hepatitis viruses is known to be directly injurious to liver cells. Evidence suggests that the clinical manifestations and outcomes following acute liver injury associated with viral Hepatitis are determined by the immunological response of the person having Hepatitis virus in patient's blood.
He said one should prescribe drugs with care as many drugs cause liver damage and if a person suffering from Hepatitis is prescribed medicines which are harmful to liver this can cause various complications. Every one should go for blood screening once a year whether there are symptoms pertaining to Hepatitis or not.