Viral Hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is a global disease with about 4.4% of the world’s population being infected with Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis B is significantly more common form of viral hepatitis.There is an effective vaccine available and is part of the vaccination programme in most part of the world. For those who acquire the virus, there are now effective treatments available to suppress the virus to undetectable levels. These treatment not only prevents liver disease to progress but also reduces the incidence of liver cancer. Hepatitis C is a major virus that causes significant liver disease. Until about three years ago, the treatment options were limited to Interferon injections once weekly and ribavirin tablets daily.
The success rate was between 40-80%. However, newer treatments collectively known as Directly Acting Antivirals (DAA) have transformed the treatment for Hepatitis C. These tablets needs to be taken for between eight to sixteen weeks with success rate of nearing 100%.They also have very minimal side effects and therefore tolerated by patients very well.
Dr.Sharma is able to assess patients with viral hepatitis and advice appropriate treatment options. He has got access to the latest clinical trials in viral hepatitis and is able provide advice on inclusion into these trials.