«Hepatitis C in Latvia is more common among men than women. There aren’t many studies to conclude as to why this is, but traditionally men are generally less careful about their health. Especially now – the age when there are effective state-funded medicines that can help treat Hepatitis C in two to three months in 95% cases,» said the head of Riga Eastern Clinical Hospital (RAKUS) Latvian Infectology Centre (LIC) Liver Diseases Unit and vice-president of Latvian Association of Infectologists, Hepatologists and HIV/AIDS Specialists, assoc. prof. Ieva Tolmane in an interview to BNN.
28 July – World Hepatitis Day
«As for the majority of residents, I can say the state has done its homework. Now society needs to do the same, and this means getting checked for Hepatitis C. At the same time, the homework the state has yet to complete include national guidelines or recommendations on battling Hepatitis C and screening the tenants of different social centres and closed-type institutions,» said the doctor.
«The spread of Hepatitis C among children is very low, which is why we see no need to test all children. The spread of infection is up among adults, which can be explained with cosmetic manipulations, medical manipulations, sex life and addictions. This is why all adults should get checked. It is also recommended to get a check for Hepatitis C if a person is 70 to 80 years old, because dying from liver cirrhosis is not pleasant. Dying from cirrhosis is incredibly hard and painful. It is a very severe illness, it lasts for a long time and is an enormous burden for all patients,» stresses the specialist.
«I will say what a colleague of mine once told me when a patient of hers asked her. She told the patient to look in a mirror – you will see a typical Hepatitis C patient. This means anyone in Latvia may be infected with Hepatitis C. This disease spreads in Latvia among drug addicts, among which the spread is the highest, and society in general. This means there is a risk of infection when going to different cosmetic procedure rooms that do not sterilise their tools or is tool lax. This includes manicure, pedicure and tattoo salons. There is also a risk of infection during sex. Unfortunately, even though medical procedures continue improving, the risks of infection remain during surgeries. Such cases are rare, but they exist. Dentistry also poses certain risks. Hepatitis C can spread among people who don’t use narcotics, have never been in prison and who lead a polite and clean lifestyle.»
When asked how people can avoid Hepatitis C, asoc. prof. Ieva Tolmane says «primarily we have classic hygiene and general cleanliness. Infection can also occur through blood contact. This is why people providing first aid should be especially careful. Protection during sex is also important. The same applies to sharing medical and cosmetic utensils. Sharing syringe needles when doing drugs increases the risk of Hepatitis C infection considerably.»
«Unlike other infections, there is no vaccine for viral Hepatitis C. This is why I recommend everyone to vaccinate for Hepatitis A and B, for which there are vaccines. This will help prevent the risk of other hepatitis infection and reduce the risk of cirrhosis or liver cancer. More importantly – undergo a Hepatitis C test at least once every five to ten years,» the doctor recommends.
When asked about symptoms of Hepatitis C and in which cases it would be a good idea for people to test for it, the doctor said «chronic Hepatitis C does not create all that many problems for a person; often a person doesn’t even know it’s there. It can go without symptoms. In rare cases people may experience exhaustion, rash or insomnia or depression, but most people show no symptoms. This is why, if this illness is not uncovered early, the person will feel it only once cirrhosis has taken hold, and not in early stages, when fluid begins to accumulate in the abdomen or bleeding occurs, when liver no longer functions properly and when helping is difficult. And this is why early screening is more important than observing actual symptoms. The only way to be certain is by screening for Hepatitis C and starting treatment early.»
When asked about the situation in Latvia and how it was 20 – 30 years ago, the specialist stresses «the main difference is advancement of medicine. While 20 – 30 years ago Hepatitis C was a sentence, now this disease can be treated. In the past we used medicines with many side-effects and low efficacy, and treatment was difficult, slow and not always effective. Now we successfully treat 95-98% of patients. Hepatitis C is almost the only chronic illness that can be successfully treated.»
When asked about the situation in Latvia when compared to the European Union, the doctor said «data from epidemiological studies from 10 years ago indicates Latvia has a high Hepatitis C infection level. In recent years we have developed effective Hepatitis C treatment method. Treated patients no longer infect others. Legislation has improved as well – there are tighter sterilisation rules for dentistry, as well as tighter monitoring in cosmetology, but there is still room for improvement. This can help reduce the spread of the infection, but we don’t have exact data. The Ministry of Health plans to do an epidemiological study of the spread of Hepatitis C. Once we have results, we will know the exact situation.»
Approximately 40 000 people in Latvia are infected with Hepatitis C. The exact number is unknown because there are still many people in Latvia who don’t know they are infected, because they haven’t signed up for a test. A lot of uncertainty comes from the fact that Hepatitis C tests are not binding and are voluntary for psychoneurological hospitals, social centres, shelters and also in prisons, said asoc. prof. Ieva Tolmane.
Latvia’s Ministry of Health is working on a plan to restrict HIV infection, sexually transmitted infections, Hepatitis A and B for 2023-2027. ‘We hope this plan will help improve screening in different risk groups. Latvia needs national guidelines to help limit the spread of hepatitis, similarly how infectologists developed guidelines for general practitioners in the past,’ said Ieva Tolmane.
BNN ASKS | Doctor: Hepatitis C spreads among people with «polite lifestyle» too
