World Hepatitis Day provides a platform each year to coordinate a worldwide response to the Hepatitis challenge. In an interview to Medindia, Dr. Mohamed Rela MBBS, MS, FRCS (Edin), internationally renowned specialist in hepatobiliary, pancreatic and liver transplant surgeries discussed the level of hepatitis awareness and the liver transplantation scene in India. Dr. Mohamed Rela currently heads the Institute of Liver, Pancreas diseases and Transplantation, Global Hospitals and Health City Group, Chennai and is Professor of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, King’s College Hospital, UK. Dr. Rela has performed over 1300 transplant surgeries, pioneered the split liver transplantation and auxiliary liver transplantation techniques, and has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for a liver transplant performed on a 5-day-old baby.
Q. How serious is the incidence of viral hepatitis infections in India? Is there sufficient awareness about hepatitis among the people of India?
Hepatitis C is a contagious viral disease affecting the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus.
Q. With more people diagnosed with liver diseases, liver transplants are becoming very necessary. How has the liver transplant scene changed in India since the first liver transplant surgery you performed some 13 years ago in India?
A. There has been a sea change in the Liver transplantation scenario in India, predominantly in the last 4 years and the rate of growth is phenomenal. India is emerging as one of the key players in Liver transplant in the Asian region and importantly among the Living donor liver transplant programs of the world. As the need for Liver transplant in our country is enormous, rapid increase in the future in the number of transplants performed is bound to happen.
Liver Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in the liver. The present section provides a graphic description of the various forms of liver cancer treatment in addition to the latest techniques such as Chemoembolisation and Radio frequency Ablation.
• Eat healthy, balanced, hygienic food
Learn how liver biopsy is done? What are the complications of liver biopsy and what safety precautions are required before biopsy.
• Vaccinate against Hepatitis B infection
Hepatitis B is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is generally transmitted through infected blood and other body fluids.
• Timely consultation with a qualified practitioner to obtain the appropriate treatment if you happen to be affected by Viral hepatitis
On World Hepatitis day several medical professionals, NGOs and patient groups in the world make the effort to increase public awareness about Hepatitis, to prevent, screen and control viral hepatitis and its related diseases such as liver cirrhosis, acute liver disease and liver cancer. Supported and driven by patient groups from all over the world, World Hepatitis Alliance works to clear viral hepatitis from the face of the earth. The first step is the awareness needed to recognize that, “This is Hepatitis.”
Source-Medindia
