Viral Hepatitis Leading Cause of Death Worldwide

Viral hepatitis has recently found that the main cause of death worldwide, killing at least as many people annually as HIV / AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB).

Within a 23 - year period from 1990 to 2013, viral hepatitis deaths increased by 63%, according to a study published in The Lancet. Viral hepatitis deaths is higher in middle - and high - income countries compared to countries that lower income; However, the authors noted that the overall disease burden is now more evenly divided between countries lower - and higher profits.

For the study, researchers analyzed data between 1990 and 2013 from the Global Burden of Disease study, which included 183 countries. Only deaths from four major genotypes (hepatitis A, B, C, and E) were included in the study.

In the current study, researchers found that a majority of the hepatitis deaths occurred in East Asia, and the majority of global deaths occurred from hepatitis B and C. Authors noted that a possible reason for the large number of deaths from the way the virus is because the strains cause long -term infection with very few immediate symptoms.

This allows the virus to go unnoticed as it progresses, which leads to severe liver damage or cancer.

Content Source: specialtypharmacytimes