81% of people with hepatitis B thought before being screened that they were not affected by the disease.
- Hepatitis B is a serious and common liver infection that is caused by a virus.
- It can be manifested by fatigue, loss of appetite, gastric discomfort and yellowing of the skin.
- Hepatitis B is the only sexually transmitted disease that can be prevented by a vaccine.
In France, chronic hepatitis B affects more than 130,000 people. “However, little is known about the perception of this disease by the patients themselves, even less about that of hepatitis delta (D), superinfection of hepatitis B”, deplore the experts of Public Health France.
205 chronic patients surveyed
Initiated by the States General of Hepatitis B, a questionnaire was therefore submitted, from September 30, 2019 to July 15, 2020, to 205 chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus living in metropolitan France (83%, 170 respondents) and in overseas regions (17%, 35 respondents).
Results: before the positive screening, 81% of respondents did not feel concerned by the disease, and 53% said they did not know about hepatitis B. After this screening, 81% of respondents believe that hepatitis B is a sickness “severe”even “very serious”, and 2% consider that hepatitis B “isn’t really a disease”.
A significant impact on daily life
The survey also highlights the significant psychological, social and professional impact of hepatitis B: nearly 60% of respondents say they find it difficult to live with uncertainty about the course of the disease, 50% say it has an impact on their morale, 30% on their family life, 29% on their sex life and 30% on their professional life. “The impact of hepatitis B on daily life must be taken into account. This also encourages us to strengthen information on the disease and the follow-up of patients or those around them”, concludes Public Health France.
In the chronic stage, hepatitis B can remain asymptomatic for a long time before progressing to cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. The antiviral treatments available aim to prevent the occurrence of this cirrhosis or its complications, but are only recommended in certain circumstances (hepatic fibrosis, significant viremia, immunosuppression, etc.) and only rarely succeed in eliminating the virus.
How do you get hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B can be contracted in several ways, including sexual contact with an infected person, sharing personal items (toothbrush, razor, etc) with a patient or by contact with infected blood in syringes that are reused to inject drugs.
.
