SUS will offer two new hepatitis C drugs

On Wednesday, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha released the latest figures on viral hepatitis in Brazil and also announced the inclusion of new drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C in the public health network. According to the data presented, there are about 1.5 million people infected with hepatitis C in Brazil, a disease responsible for 70% of chronic hepatitis and 40% of cases of cirrhosis. The problem may still develop into cancer, and according to statistics, 60% of primary cancers of the liver are due to hepatitis C.

To reduce these numbers, the Ministry of Health has announced that they will be distributed through the Single System of (Telerrevir) and Boceprevir, two modern anti-hepatitis C drugs. The expectation is that these drugs will benefit approximately 5,500 patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, two complications that increase the risk of disease progression and death.

New drugs must be available in the SUS as of 2013 and have an effectiveness rate of 80%. The duration of the orally administered treatment is up to 48 weeks. For experts, the biggest problem with hepatitis C is that it is a silent disease. Thus, the period from infection to the stage of liver cirrhosis can last from 20 to 30 years, on average without any symptoms.

According to published data, 33,000 new cases of hepatitis are reported every year. While the number of cases of hepatitis A has been declining with improved economic and sanitation conditions, 14,000 new cases of hepatitis B and 500 deaths each year have been reported.

Ask your questions about hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by a virus. As in most cases, it has no cure, just control. Its most common complications are permanent liver damage, such as cirrhosis, cancer, or even total organ involvement.

Many people live with this virus for years without knowing they are contaminated. In some cases, the patient may have the disease for a short time and then recover, is called acute hepatitis. Most people infected with HCV, however, stay with it for a long time, in a chronic way.

How to find out

The discovery of the disease is often accidental, on a routine examination, or on the at which point the person will donate blood. However, it can also be identified by the occurrence of symptoms such as extreme tiredness, joint pain, stomach pain, itching, muscle aches, dark urine and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)

Prevention

contagion is caused by the contact of blood with that of another person contaminated by the virus. The most common way to get this disease is by sharing needles or other equipment used for injecting drugs.

Blood transfusion and organ transplant surgeries were also forms of contagion. However, for years, blood from all donors has been tested and tested against hepatitis C. So if you have performed any of these procedures before 1993, it is recommended to do the test.

USP seeks volunteers with type 2 diabetes for new treatment

Researchers are looking for men and women between the ages of 30 and 60, who have type 2 diabetes, do not use insulin, and are metabolically uncontrolled (cholesterol and triglycerides above 200 mg / dL). The new treatment is able to control diabetes through a custom rigid diet. According to researcher Rafael Ferraz, who coordinates the study alongside Professor Maria Cristina Foss-Freitas, the research created a food protocol capable of reducing calorie intake to a level that activates energy metabolism without causing malnutrition.

(Health)

Know eight treatments for non-melanoma skin cancer

On the National Day to Combat Cancer of the Skin (November 30), the Brazilian Society of Dermatology (SBD) will promote a full day dedicated to examining the population for prevention and diagnosis of skin cancer. which is expected to register more than 140,000 new cases this year in Brazil, according to estimates by the National Cancer Institute (INCA).

(Health)