October 11, 2013

Hep C prevalence in Jordan below regional levels

by Khetam Malkawi | Oct 10, 2013 | 22:43

DUBAI — Despite the high prevalence of hepatitis C in the region, Jordan has managed to maintain a low prevalence of this viral disease, experts said.

Experts who met in Dubai this week to discuss hepatitis prevalence in the region said more than nine million people in the Middle East and North Africa are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) but only an estimated one third of those infected have been diagnosed.

Dubbed the “silent killer”, the virus’ prevalence in Jordan stands at 0.65 per cent.

“This means that around 30,000 to 35,000 Jordanians are infected with this virus,” Waseem Hamoudi, consultant for gastroenterology and hepatology and head of the internal medicine department at Al Bashir Hospital, told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The highest prevalence of the disease in the region is in Egypt, according to Mustafa Abdul Aziz, consultant for gastroenterology and hepatology at UAQ Hospital in the UAE.

According to figures he presented, the prevalence of the disease in Egypt is more than 14 per cent.

“HCV is the most dangerous type of hepatitis… as in many cases there are no symptoms to that the patient has the disease,” Abdul Aziz said at a press conference held on the sidelines of the HCV Middle East summit organised by MSD in Dubai.

More than 200 doctors from the region attended the summit to discuss the virus, the best ways to manage it and the medical breakthroughs that may help save the lives of hepatitis C sufferers.

Figures presented in the conference showed that the prevalence of the disease in Saudi Arabia is 1.8 per cent, while it is 0.8 per cent in Kuwait and 1 per cent in Lebanon. In the UAE, 13.9 out of every 100,000 people have the disease.

“Hepatitis has already become an epidemic, with the WHO estimating that 3 per cent of the world’s population or around 170 million are already infected with the virus,” Ramsey Murad, managing director of MSD in the Middle East, said.

He added that the Middle East and North Africa already ranks amongst the highest in the world in terms of both prevalence and incidence.

Hepatitis C in MENA

More than nine million people in the Middle East and North Africa are infected with hepatitis C, only one-third of whom have been diagnosed

Limited public awareness of hepatitis C drives the spread of the disease, as undiagnosed carriers continue to spread it unknowingly

Around 75 per cent of those exposed to the virus develop chronic hepatitis, nearly 20 per cent to 30 per cent of whom develop liver cirrhosis , while around

10 per cent of them will suffer from liver failure

The cost of treating chronic hepatitis C infections is on average $15,000 per patient

The costs of treating the 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the total patient population who develop hepatitis-related chronic liver disease and the resulting complications are huge

Source: MSD

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