Join the 'Hepatitis B' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Infection Causes 1 in 6 Cancers Worldwide: Study
Posted 19 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 9 – One in six cancers worldwide is caused by preventable or treatable infections, a new study finds. Infections cause about 2 million cancer cases a year, and 80 percent of those cases occur in less developed areas of the world, according to the study, which was published online May 8 in The Lancet Oncology. Of the 7.5 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2008, about 1.5 million were due to potentially preventable or treatable infections. "Infections with certain viruses, bacteria and parasites are one of the biggest and most preventable causes of cancer worldwide," lead authors Catherine de Martel and Martyn Plummer, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, said in a journal news release. "Application of existing public-health methods for infection prevention – such as vaccination, safer injection practice or antimicrobial treatments – ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Helicobacter Pylori Infection, Human Papilloma Virus, Cervical Cancer, Human Papillomavirus Prophylaxis
Statins May Stave Off Liver Cancer in People With Hepatitis B
Posted 26 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Jan. 26 – Popular cholesterol-lowering statins may also lower risk for liver cancer among people with hepatitis B, a new study shows. Hepatitis B, an inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis B virus, is one of the main causes of liver cancer. This is not the first time that statins have shown promise in reducing risk for cancer. Other studies have hinted that these drugs may play a role in preventing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer. In the new study of more than 33,000 individuals with hepatitis B followed from 1997 to 2008, those who took a statin were less likely to develop liver cancer, when compared to participants who were not prescribed statins. What's more, the longer a person took statins, the greater the liver-cancer risk reduction. Study participants were prescribed the statins to treat high cholesterol levels. Overall, 1,021 people developed ... Read more
Related support groups: Simvastatin, Lipitor, Crestor, Pravastatin, Zocor, Lovastatin, Hepatitis B, Atorvastatin, Livalo, Rosuvastatin, Red Yeast Rice, Pravachol, Lescol, Lescol XL, Mevacor
Many U.S. Adults Not Vaccinated for Hepatitis B
Posted 22 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Jan. 20 – More than half (51.4 percent) of American adults at risk for hepatitis B infection have not been vaccinated, a new study says. People at risk for hepatitis B infection, which can lead to liver disease, include those who share needles when using injectable drugs and those who engage in certain risky sexual practices. Previous research shows that 95 percent of new hepatitis B infections occur among people with these types of behavioral risk factors. The finding about vaccination rates comes from researchers at Brown University in Providence, R.I., who analyzed data from 15,000 adults who took part in the 2007 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. The study also found that more than half of those who weren't vaccinated had the potential to receive the vaccine. These missed opportunities are a reason why hepatitis B infections persist, the researchers said. ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis B, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Adult Vaccine, Hepatitis B Prophylaxis, Engerix-B
Hepatitis May Lurk at Barbershops, Nail Salons
Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – Customers in nail salons and barbershops may be at risk for hepatitis infection if the tools used are improperly cleaned, a new U.S. study suggests. While regulations for disinfecting instruments such as nail files and brushes, finger bowls, foot basins, razors, clippers and scissors may be enough to prevent hepatitis transmission, there is no guarantee that workers will follow those rules, the researchers said. They analyzed a Virginia Department of Health report on the risk of hepatitis infection in nail salons and barber shops and were scheduled to present their findings Monday at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Washington, D.C. "Whether there is sufficient compliance with disinfection requirements is an important variable in the safety of salon and barbershop services from a public health perspective," Dr. David A. ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B
CDC Moves to Make Organ Transplantation Safer
Posted 21 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 21 – More thorough donor screening and more advanced organ testing to help protect transplant patients from infectious diseases are recommended in a draft of an updated organ transplant guideline released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal of the new guideline is to reduce infections such as HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Screening is already done for HIV, but HBV and HCV should be added to the screening process, the CDC said. From 2007 to 2010, the CDC was involved in more than 200 investigations of suspected, unexpected transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C through transplants. In some of the confirmed cases, the transplant recipient died due to the infection. The existing guideline was created in 1994. Other major proposed changes to the guideline include ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Organ Transplant
Hepatitis Rates Soar Among IV Drug Users, Study Finds
Posted 27 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 27 – About 10 million injection drug users worldwide have hepatitis C, and 1.3 million have hepatitis B, a new study reports. Hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Researchers analyzed international data and found that rates of hepatitis C infection among injection drug users (IDUs) were 60 to 80 percent in 25 countries and greater than 80 percent in 12 other countries. These countries included Spain (80 percent), Norway (76 percent), Germany (75 percent), France (74 percent), United States (73 percent), China (67 percent), Canada (64 percent), Italy (81 percent), Portugal (83 percent), Pakistan (84 percent), the Netherlands (86 percent), Thailand (90 percent) and Mexico (97 percent). Lower rates were seen in New Zealand (52 percent), Australia (55 percent) and the United Kingdom (50 percent), the researchers noted. The countries believed to ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B
Patients With Hepatitis B May Face Greater Risk of Blood Cancer
Posted 5 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 – People with hepatitis B infection have about twice the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, finds a new study. Previous research has established that hepatitis C infection is linked with increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but only small studies have been conducted on hepatitis B and NHL. It's believed that liver infection caused by hepatitis results in sustained immune system activation that may trigger lymphocytes (white blood cells that are part of the immune system) to develop DNA mutations that can lead to NHL. This study, published online Aug. 4 in The Lancet Oncology, included people in South Korea, where hepatitis B (HBV) was endemic until 1995 when the country began vaccination of all newborns. However, HBV infection remains common in adults because of infections acquired in childhood. The researchers analyzed data from the Korean Cancer ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis B
Clues to Preventing Return of Liver Cancer
Posted 29 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 29 – Antiviral therapy may halt or slow recurrence of liver cancer in patients with chronic hepatitis B and extend their lives, finds a new study. Previous research has shown that antiviral therapy reduces the incidence of liver cancer in such patients. This study looked at 15 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who underwent the local removal of a liver tumor known as a "single hepatocellular carcinoma" (HCC) that was less than four centimeters. HCC is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Six of the patients were diagnosed between 1991 and 1997, prior to the development of antiviral therapy. They were classified as historical controls. The other nine were diagnosed between 2000 and 2004 and began ongoing antiviral therapy with lamivudine immediately after HCC diagnosis. In some cases, patients were also prescribed other antiviral medications, such as ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis B, Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatitis Infections Behind U.S. Rise in Liver Cancer
Posted 6 May 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 6 – A type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, is increasing in the United States, and health officials attribute much of the rise to untreated hepatitis infections. Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C are responsible for 78 percent of hepatocellular carcinoma around the world. In the United States, as many as 5.3 million people have chronic viral hepatitis and don't know it, according to the May 6 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "The liver cancer rates are increasing in contrast to most other major forms of cancer," said Dr. John Ward, director of CDC's viral hepatitis division and co-author of the report. Viral hepatitis is a major reason for the increase, he said. The rate of hepatocellular carcinoma increased from 2.7 per 100,000 persons in 2001 to 3.2 in 2006 – an average annual increase of ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Vaccination, Prevention Is Beating Back Hepatitis
Posted 10 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 10 – Decades of vaccination and prevention efforts may have the hepatitis viruses on the run, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC researchers tracked individuals' levels of antibodies to various hepatitis strains. Antibodies are a kind of immune system record of exposure to a particular pathogen, either through infection or vaccination. Since the late 1980s, there's been a significant increase in the number of U.S.-born American children and teens with hepatitis A antibody and a decrease in the number of adults aged 40 and older with the antibody, the study found. The recent trends likely result from increased immunity in children due to immunization and a resulting decrease of hepatitis A virus (HAV) exposure and infection among adults, according to the CDC researchers. The investigators also found that hepatitis ... Read more
Related support groups: Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis A Prophylaxis, Hepatitis B Prophylaxis
Ask a Question
Further Information
Related Condition Support Groups
Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Prophylaxis, Exposure to Hepatitis B Virus, Infectious Hepatitis
Related Drug Support Groups
Pegasys, Baraclude, PegIntron, interferon alfa-2b, entecavir, Viread, Hepsera, Epivir, tenofovir, view more... peginterferon alfa-2b, peginterferon alfa-2a, adefovir, telbivudine, lamivudine, Epivir-HBV, Tyzeka