The Ministry of Health estimates that 50% of people with chronic hepatitis are unaware of their diagnosis and joins experts and civil society organizations in warning that it is important to get tested to get treatment and avoid the spread of the disease, a virus that can lead to cirrhosis or complications of liver transplantation.
“One of the big problems with chronic hepatitis is that it’s a silent disease and people see their doctor when they have symptoms, so it’s important to ‘look for’ the virus, especially hepatitis C, which has a 30% chance of developing cirrhosis, said Sebastián Ferretti, president of the Argentine Society of Hepatology. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver; in most cases, it is caused by a virus, and there are three most common causes of this condition: A, B, and C.
“Before 2005, the most prevalent hepatitis was hepatitis A; since then, due to vaccination and improved sewerage, the number of cases has been very low, not exceeding 10 cases per year.
Hepatitis A is spread primarily through ingestion of contaminated food or water, but may also be transmitted through penetrative anal or anal sex; symptoms are sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fever, urine may turn dark and stools Pale; after a few weeks, the person may turn yellow.