The Hepatitis Campaign

Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the liver and can often lead to scarring or in more severe cases, liver cancer. Hepatitis is one of the most common diseases in the world, and comes in many different strains including autoimmune, alcoholic, type A, type B, type C, type D, and type E. All strains of Hepatitis cause liver disease, but the severity varies significantly depending on how it was contracted as well as which strain was contracted. Hepatitis is a disease that is often asymptomatic, meaning that it can be harder to catch immediately without regular doctor check-ups. For those that do exhibit symptoms, some of the most common ones include: diarrhea, abdominal pain, darker colored urine, jaundice, nausea, and fever. If left untreated, this can cause scarring or lead to liver cancer and in some cases, it can also lead to acute liver failure.

There are several preventative measures in place for Hepatitis, such as the Hepatitis vaccines. We currently have vaccines for Type A and Type B available. For those that already have hepatitis, there are a few different treatment options. Hepatitis B and C can be treated with antiviral medications such as Baracleud, Tyzeka, Viread, or Epivir. In more severe cases of Hepatitis there is the option of a liver transplant. Hepatitis A does not have any known medications, and must resolve on its own. Hepatitis D often results from an individual previously having Hepatitis B-- thus, Hepatitis B may cause Hepatitis D. Hepatitis D can be prevented by the Hepatitis B vaccine. There is no known medication that shows significant success in regards to Hepatitis D. Like Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E can usually be cleared out on it’s own. Autoimmune Hepatitis can often be treated with high doses of prednisone. As the patient shows improvement, the dosage is often lowered although this condition may remain with a patient for life. For Alcoholic Hepatitis, an individual is given therapy (or in extreme cases rehab) in which an individual is treated for their alcoholic tendencies and given ways to help heal the damage done to their liver.

Some forms of Hepatitis are more common than others: Hepatitis E is more commonly seen in developing countries, and seldom ever seen in developed countries. This is true for most forms of Hepatitis (and diseases in general). Populations with less access to healthcare and clean water often endure a greater number of infected people within their community– Hepatitis E in particular is commonly spread through unclean, non-purified water. Having access to good sanitation tools and being able to chlorinate contaminated water sources can significantly reduce Hepatitis E transmission.

There are several organizations that are dedicated to improving access to medications in marginalized communities. Organizations like the World Health Organization seek to equalize treatment between people all over the world by giving lower income communities better access to medicines). Additionally, there is the Global Health Impact Project which is dedicated to improving access to essential medicines and healthcare by incentivizing pharmaceutical companies to increase their overall impact on global health. They do this by using an indexing tool which shows the impact score for drugs produced for a given disease. The impact score is created by gathering data on DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years), Treatment Coverage, and Drug Efficiency. This means that anyone can easily access information about a drug and see its impact on a population. This allows companies to be incentivized when they create drugs that effectively treat a population for diseases like hepatitis.

References:

1. “Hepatitis B - Diagnosis and Treatment - Mayo Clinic.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-b/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20366821#:%7E:text=Treatment%20for%20chronic%20hepatitis%20B%20may%20include%3A,ability%20to%20damage%20your%20liver. Accessed 15 Sept. 2020.
2. “Hepatitis.” World Health Assembly, www.who.int/health-topics/hepatitis#tab_3. Accessed 15 Sept. 2020.
3. “Alcoholic Hepatitis - Diagnosis and Treatment - Mayo Clinic.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcoholic-hepatitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351394.
4. “Hepatitis D.” World Health Assembly, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-d. Accessed 15 Sept. 2020.
5. “Hepatitis E Questions and Answers for Health Professionals | CDC.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hev/hevfaq.htm#d4. Accessed 15 Sept. 2020.
6. “Alcoholic Hepatitis - Diagnosis and Treatment - Mayo Clinic.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcoholic-hepatitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351394.
7. World Health Assembly, 67. (2014). Hepatitis. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/162765