China News Service, Beijing, March 18. March 18, 2021 is the 21st "National Liver Love Day."
The China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation recently organized a roundtable forum on hepatitis B prevention and treatment, and discussed the current status of hepatitis B prevention and treatment in my country, patient follow-up management, and clinical cure.
Experts said that the diagnosis rate and treatment rate of hepatitis B in my country need to be improved. The public and patients' awareness needs to be strengthened. Patients with chronic hepatitis B should adhere to antiviral treatment.
Dr. Chen Zhongdan, World Health Organization Representative Office in China.
Photo courtesy of China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation
China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation Executive Vice President Yang Xizhong, Secretary General Li Zengde, Academician Zhuang Hui of Peking University Health Science Center, Dr. Chen Zhongdan from the World Health Organization Representative Office in China, Liver Disease Prevention Experts Jia Jidong, Gao Zhiliang, Cui Fuqiang, Professor Liu Xiaoqing, and grassroots doctors and patients Organize representatives to attend meetings and participate in discussions.
Academician Zhuang Hui of Peking University School of Medicine.
Photo courtesy of China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation
The diagnosis rate and treatment rate of hepatitis B in my country urgently need to be improved
According to Chen Zhongdan, in 2016, the World Health Organization passed the global goal of eliminating the public health threat of viral hepatitis. It is hoped that by 2030, the number of new cases of hepatitis B infection in the world will be reduced by 90% compared with 2015, and 80% of eligible chronic hepatitis B virus Infected patients were treated, and hepatitis B-related deaths were reduced by 65%.
Achieving the goal requires a comprehensive response, adopting a people-centered whole life cycle approach, adopting the whole course of hepatitis B vaccine inoculation, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, blood and injection safety, harm reduction, testing and treatment, in order to ensure the effective implementation and promotion of prevention and control measures, and achieve population Prevention and control effects at different levels.
Chen Zhongdan said that hepatitis B treatment can improve liver function, reduce liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, but the premise is to find patients, put them into management, actively monitor, and treat them all.
This is a long-term process with many challenges and difficulties. It is easy to cause the loss of patients. Patients take irregular medication or stop treatment during treatment for a period of time. At the same time, they still face huge challenges in promoting diagnosis and treatment.
Academician Zhuang Hui said that in the past 30 years, my country has made great achievements in the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B. The prevalence rate of hepatitis B has dropped from a high epidemic level to a moderate epidemic level, and the number of hepatitis B virus infections has decreased from 120 million in 1992 to 86 million.
The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen in children under 5 years of age has dropped more significantly, from 10.72% in 1992 to 0.2% in 2016.
However, the current diagnosis rate of hepatitis B in my country is only 19%, and the treatment rate is only 11%, which is still far from the target set by the World Health Organization.
As a result, many stock patients have not been well treated, and they have developed cirrhosis and even liver cancer.
The mortality rate of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis in my country is still high, and the incidence of hepatitis B-related liver cancer is the highest in the world.
Therefore, it is necessary to take the initiative to find patients, especially key areas and key populations; to refer patients to the track of treatment and management in a timely manner.
Research data shows that expanding hepatitis B treatment strategies is more cost-effective and can save more lives.
Yang Xizhong, executive vice chairman of the China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation.
Photo courtesy of China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation
The low level of public awareness is an important factor restricting the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B
The diagnosis rate and treatment rate of hepatitis B patients in my country are low. Yang Xizhong believes that the failure of popular science education is one of the very important reasons. Patients do not know how to prevent and treat.
Only by correctly understanding the disease can we adopt scientific methods to prevent it.
It is necessary to popularize health education and raise the public's awareness of early screening, and switch from "passive screening" to "active testing."
Jia Jidong, director of the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital, also believes that the problem of popularization of knowledge restricts the development of hepatitis B prevention and treatment.
Some patients know that they have a history of hepatitis B virus infection, but do not know that there will be progress. The knowledge of hepatitis B treatment is still at the stage of more than ten years or even decades ago.
In addition, low social awareness has also led to discrimination against people infected with hepatitis B virus.
Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of Beijing Fangzhuang Community Health Service Center Wu Hao and Professor Liu Xiaoqing of Peking Union Medical College Hospital also stated that strengthening publicity and education and raising public awareness are the top priorities of hepatitis B prevention and treatment, and the whole society should be mobilized.
The "14th Five-Year Plan" and the 2035 long-term goal outline proposed that the average life expectancy should be increased by one year.
If the hepatitis problem is resolved, the stress will be greatly reduced.
Professor Cui Fuqiang of Peking University School of Medicine said: “We need to explore how to use an effective mechanism to not only transmit our knowledge and let the information be received by the public, but also explore how to involve patients in our diagnosis, The treatment can cover these patients."
Professor Jia Jidong, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University.
Photo courtesy of China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation
Patients with hepatitis B must adhere to scientific antiviral treatment
Jia Jidong introduced that from chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis to liver cancer, the long-term high viral load is the most important factor that promotes the progression of the disease.
He emphasized that patients with hepatitis B need long-term treatment, anti-virus is a protracted battle, and it is not recommended to stop the drug by yourself.
Among the antiviral drugs used to treat hepatitis B, entecavir, tenofovir, and propofol tenofovir have all entered medical insurance at a relatively low price.
Data from the "China Hepatitis B Elimination Clinical Research Platform" shows that China's treatment plan is basically in line with international standards, and the drugs recommended by the guidelines have become the mainstream of hepatitis B treatment.
In order to improve the level of diagnosis and treatment, China has carried out a large number of liver disease doctor training activities. Even during the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic last year, experts were invited online to explain the application of hepatitis B treatment plans to medical staff at all levels from the perspective of clinical practice.
Yang Xizhong pointed out that the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B is a systematic project that requires the joint efforts of the whole society.
It is recommended that government departments further increase their efforts to carry out actions to eliminate hepatitis, popularize prevention and treatment knowledge among the public and patients with hepatitis, attach importance to the construction of primary medical and health teams, and standardize liver disease diagnosis and treatment.
Call for regions that have not yet included hepatitis B diagnosis and treatment into medical insurance to adjust their medical insurance policies as soon as possible to improve access to treatment.
At the same time, speed up the construction of informatization, eliminate information islands, apply new technologies, give full play to the role of big data, and provide technical support for patient follow-up management.
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