Two million Romanian suffer from hepatitis

The President of Patients Association with liver disease in Romania, Manuela Debu, says it is not known the exact number of patients suffering from hepatitis.

The latest estimate is that 2 million people suffering from hepatitis.

"If we go by the latest statistics of the population and relate to hepatitis B prevalence is around 4 percent, some studies show even 6 percent," said the association president of patients with liver disease in Romania, Manuela Debu.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by a virus.

Hepatitis C virus can cause both acute form, as well as the chronic hepatitis, and is the most common form after hepatitis A and B.

The reason why there are so many people infected with C is that the fact that only one in five cases presents symptoms that should send them to the doctor.

The other four are asymptomatic, but contagious.

Hepatitis C virus has an incubation period ranging between 14 and 180 days.

Most of the times, in the case of hepatitis, there are not symptoms which should send us to the doctor

Manuela Debu says that often, in the case hepatitis, there arenot symptoms that should send us to the doctor.

"We must think if we are at risk and that it is good to do a test. You can feel tired, your feet will hurt and you can have nausea, "adds Manuela Debu.

The President of Patients Association with liver disease in Romania, Manuela Debu, regularly advises us to test for the possible detection of the hepatitis virus.

Pregnant women are entitled to free test to detect hepatitis B.

If you cannot treat hepatitis there can appear complications: cirrhosis and liver cancer.
People suffering from hepatitis should eat in moderation, no fried foods and should not consume alcohol.

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University