Chronic Hepatitis C – in Risk Groups in Eastern Europe: a Global Public-health Problem

Abstract

Hepatic diseases are the sixth most common cause of death in the European Union. The World Health Organization has adopted a global strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis as a serious public health threat by 2030. Approximately one quarter of patients with CHC (chronic hepatitis C) has developed cirrhosis of the liver. It is a precancerosis with a high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. From an epidemiological point of view, injection drug use (IDU) is the most significant way of transmitting HCV infection. Patients with an increased risk of transmitting HCV infection, active IDUs, homosexuals with risky sexual practices, women planning to conceive, patients undergoing hemodialysis and prisoners should all be treated in preference. This population of patients is threatened by an addiction itself as well as by infections, repeated reinfections or mixed infections, concomitant mental disorders or diseases, and multiple associated disorders. To the fulfilment of the WHO strategy on HCV elimination/eradication would certainly contribute a nationwide screening in individual European countries and active collaboration with general practitioners who could treat patients with HCV by themselves - that is, without help of specialists, with pan-genotypic drugs.

Journal

Title: Clinical Social Work and Health Intervention

Abbreviated Title: cswhi

Publisher: Journal of Clinical Social Work and Health Intervention

ISSN (Print): 2222386X

ISSN (Electronic): 20769741

Publication date Created: December 30 2019

Publication date Created: December 27 2019

Publication date (Print): December 30 2019

Publication date (Electronic): December 27 2019

Volume: 10

Issue: 4

Pages: 33-41

Article

DOI: 10.22359/cswhi_10_4_01

Copyright statement: © 2019

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Product

Self URI (journal page): http://www.clinicalsocialwork.eu/

Self URI (article page): https://clinicalsocialwork.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/06-Belovicova-1.pdf