Although
it is widely understood that hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C
virus (HCV) are the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, a
study published in Cancer Nursing reports an alarming number of HBV and HCV carriers have unhealthy habits that result in poor liver health.
To learn about the behavior and attitudes of HBV and HCV carriers, a
team of researchers in China conducted interviews with 6,805
participants from August 2011 to July 2012. The participant pool was
limited to candidates aged 20 years or older who were able to live
independently, could either complete the questionnaire in Mandarin or
Taiwanese, had access to their community hospital, and did not have a
learning disability.
According to the researchers, a notable percentage of participants had
either HBV (18.7%) or HCV (20.8%). Despite reporting risk factors for
poor liver function among HBV and HCV carriers that included “being
overweight, fasting blood sugar levels >110 mg/dL, systolic blood
pressure >140 mm Hg, smoking, betel nut chewing and alcohol
consumption,” the investigators discovered a large percentage of the
study subjects participated in those modifiable hazardous behaviors.
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See more at:
http://www.hcplive.com/publications/contagion/2014/august2014/Recommendations-to-Improve-Liver-Health--in-Hepatitis-B-Hepatitis-C-Patients#sthash.lsnkS4YU.dpufLabels: Liver Health, Quality of Life