NEW YORK, New York — As many as 1 in 10 foreign-born Asian Americans
is affected by hepatitis-B, a rate over 20 times higher than that of
the overall U.S. population, reports Gilead Sciences.
Chronic hepatitis B is a potentially fatal liver disease caused
by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is up to 100 times more easily
transmitted than the AIDS virus.
Chronic hepatitis B can slowly destroy the liver over many years –
even decades – without producing symptoms. It may cause
life-threatening complications including liver cancer or cirrhosis
(severe liver scarring).
Labels: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), US epidemiology