World Hepatitis Day is observed every year on July 28 to raise awareness about hepatitis, which is a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E
-- Hepatitis can be life threatening unless it is detected in a timely manner and there is good treatment available. On World Hepatitis Day, therefore, there is a push for more global awareness about the infection, its diagnosis, and how to prevent it, among other things.
-- Talking about hepatitis C, Dr Roy Patankar, gastroenterologist and director of Zen Multispecialty Hospital, Chembur, Mumbai, says it can lead to stomach woes and that there is a link between hepatitis and gastrointestinal problems.
-- Many people with hepatitis will have abdominal discomfort and pain. Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), spread via contact with blood from an infected person. It is known to induce gastrointestinal problems in some patients, and there are many who will be diagnosed with hepatitis C, but not showcase any signs of it. Hepatitis C is pre-cancerous and can also lead to cirrhosis; with no vaccine available, prevention is important,” he warns.
How does hepatitis take a toll on the digestive system?
----- It is a known fact that healthy functioning of the liver is essential for the overall functioning of the body. The organ produces bile — required to digest fats — which is then stored in the gallbladder and sent to the beginning section of the small intestine when needed.
----Bile, the doctor explains, is combined with stomach acids and digestive fluids from the pancreas to help the intestines absorb nutrients into the bloodstream.
-- According to Dr Patankar, when one is infected with hepatitis C, it can impact the liver’s ability to produce bile, thereby making the digestion of fatty foods difficult.
📣 The above article is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional for any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.
"Navigating Cancer has found patients, including those who are elderly, are adopting applications to stay connected with their care teams, said Amila Patel, PharmD, chief clinical officer, Navigating Cancer."
* Now that we've seen an increased use in digital health solutions due to the pandemic, what have we learned about how patients use these solutions and which patients use them?
* Yeah, so I think what we've learned the most is that patients are doing more from their mobile devices, and one of the highest drivers of usage of these mobile health tools is that they want to stay connected to their health care team.
* The other thing that I think we've seen is that we've dispelled the myth that elderly patients won't access or adopt these tools. The vast majority of patients using our platform today are over the age of 65. And we need to really make these tools easy for that patient population to use, because that's highly representative of the overall cancer population today.
* At Navigating Cancer, we have a web-based application that's very mobile friendly and easy to use, instead of using a native app that patients have to download. That's one way that we've broken through that barrier.
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