Chronic viral hepatitis - a global public health burden

Abstract

Introduction. Chronic hepatitis remains a global public health problem. The importance of approaching this issue is imposed by the high prevalence and severity of the consequences, especially of parenteral hepatitis. The burden of chronic hepatitis falls on the shoulders of the medical system and is determined by the socio-economic impact of this disease, widespread distribution among all age groups, involvement in the epidemic process of people of reproductive and working age, and last but not least the costs of coverage, treatment of people infected with this virus. Globally, chronic hepatitis B and C remain the 2 leading cause of liver cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. Purpose. Study of the global distribution and the particularities of the evolution of the epidemic process in chronic hepatitis. Material and methods. A systematic literature review was conducted with the inclusion of 30 bibliographic sources published in the last 5 years, globally.Results. The morbidity chronic hepatitis of viral origin remains quite high, with a tendency to increase. The WHO estimates that globally about 257 million people are infected with HBV (Fig.1), 2-3% - HCV and 5% - HVD. Thus, every 9 of 10 people are living with hepatitis B or C without knowing it. The data of official statistics in the Republic of Moldova highlights the high share of chronic hepatitis infections expressed by a total of 70 thousand patients, of which over 43 thousand are of viral origin. However, the rate of acute cases is declining due to the implementation of vaccination of newborns and people at risk. The WHO/UNICEF estimates that the National Immunization Coverage with the new vaccines including of hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b etc has accelerated (Fig.2). It can prevent the infection of 4.5 million children. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection in the period 2016-2019, approximately 15,637 people were definitively treated for hepatitis B, C and D, this is due to the implementation of a new treatment scheme for patients.Conclusions. Chronic hepatitis remains the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Chronic liver deaths ranks 8th in global statistics.