{"id":1853,"date":"2018-11-19T17:55:12","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T09:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.hk\/blog\/?p=1853"},"modified":"2019-06-04T12:01:26","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T04:01:26","slug":"hepatitis-c-hong-kong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.hk\/blog\/hepatitis-c-hong-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Hepatitis C in Hong Kong"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to deadly illnesses in Hong Kong, hepatitis may not be at the top of the list, but you may think differently after knowing that there has just been another <\/span>instance of rat hepatitis E<\/span><\/a> infecting a person in Wong Tai Sin, following the world\u2019s <\/span>first known infection<\/span><\/a> in late September. <\/span>Similarly, a recent report by <\/span>The Hong Kong Association for the Study of Liver Diseases<\/span><\/a> echoes that hepatitis deserves more attention. According to estimates derived from a study of 11,000 city residents, only about half of hepatitis C virus carriers in Hong Kong have been formally diagnosed, and just 12 percent have received treatment. The figures were far below the targets set by the World Health Organisation, which aims to raise the diagnosis rate to 90 percent and the treatment rate to 80 percent by 2030.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike other types of hepatitis, hepatitis C does not have any noticeable symptoms in most cases, but it can lead to serious or even life-threatening damage to a person\u2019s liver in the long run. However, research has shown that there is a lack of hepatitis awareness in the local community, which contributes to the low diagnosis and treatment rate. In light of this, this week <\/span>Pacific Prime Hong Kong<\/span><\/a> will provide a brief overview of hepatitis C and associated liver disease. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Individual<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Acute or chronic?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and can be subdivided into acute and chronic. <\/span><\/p>\n

Acute HCV infection usually does not exhibit any symptoms, so few people are diagnosed during the acute phase, and their immune system can be enough to clear the virus out of the body. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, about 75% to 85% of patients will go on to develop long-term or chronic hepatitis C, which can lead to serious health conditions, such as liver cancer, liver failure, or scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). This process can take decades, and patients are often unaware of the infection until symptoms become secondary and start to damage the liver.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The incubation period for hepatitis C ranges from two weeks to six months. Upon infection, approximately 80% of patients do not exhibit any symptoms. However, a minority of patients may have the following symptoms:<\/span><\/p>\n