70% liver diseases caused by Hepatitis-B virus: experts

About 60% to 70% of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer are caused by Hepatitis-B virus, prompting a rise in the number of patients in Bangladesh affected in the two diseases as elsewhere in the world, Hepatology experts told a programme on Tuesday.  

They also said one in every 12 persons in Bangladesh is affected with Hepatitis-B virus, which constitutes over 5.4% of the total population who are at risk of having liver cancer or liver cirrhosis at any point of time in their life.

The diseases and the virus are mostly ignored due to lack of awareness and screening as there is hardly any symptom. Patients only get admitted when they fall seriously ill, they added. 

"About 10%-12% of the total patients admitted in the medicine wards of the hospitals are liver patients and most of the cases are Hepatitis-B virus-related. Of these patients, one-third die from liver diseases," Professor Dr Mamun Al Mahtab Shwapnil, head of Interventional Hepatology Division, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, told a programme on Tuesday at Dhaka Club jointly organised by Rotary International District 3281 and the Bangladesh Health Reporter's Forum (BHRF).

In his keynote paper presentation, Dr Shwapnil said over 22,000 liver patients died in the country annually before the Covid-19 pandemic. But it is feared that the diseases have increased over the last two years as most of the hospitals were turned into Covid-dedicated ones hampering the treatment of other patients. 

People are not only dying of liver diseases but a massive amount of money is being spent every year on diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases, he said.    

A study found that $1 billion is spent for diagnosis of 10 lakh patients affected with Hepatitis-B virus in Bangladesh, while the amount would reach $3 billion for the treatment of 50% of such patients.   

Bangladesh is committed to eliminating the virus by 2030 under the SDG goal 3.3 requiring widespread awareness building and screening.  

The Rotary International District 3281 has taken the initiative to implement various programmes to eliminate Hepatitis-B virus from that perspective. The programme was inaugurated on Tuesday.   

In his speech as the chief guest, Rotary Club Dhaka District Governor Engineer MA Wahab said the Rotary Club played an important role in eliminating polio from the country. It is now working on Hepatitis-B elimination. 

The Rotary Club would implement an awareness building campaign and mass screening at district level to detect Hepatitis-B infected patients. 

BHRF President Rashed Rabbi said the Rotary Club works to change society. He called upon the Rotary authorities to begin awareness building and screening from school-level.