HepSAY
hepatitis news and views from SA
The stages of chronic hepatitis B infection has been given a makeover. Is it time for Hep B Bear to move aside?
The latest clinical practice guidelines for hepatitis B published by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) not only set out recommended treatment protocols but also re-framed and re-named the phases of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories Uncategorised1 Comment on Jewel of South Australian Viral Hepatitis Services Kim had just started on the new hepatitis C treatment and things seemed to be going well until he realised he was unable to get his new supply of tablets because he forgot to give his local pharmacist sufficient notice.
His script could not be filled by the time he needed it. This break, early in his treatment, could affect the outcome. In desperation, he told his viral hepatitis nurse of his predicament. The nurses organised a supply and dropped it off to him on a weekend.
The nurses say this is something they can’t do on a regular basis, but it is one example of how this team of dedicated South Australian nurses go out of their way to support the people they are caring for, to ensure the best outcomes.
Continue reading “Jewel of South Australian Viral Hepatitis Services”
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories UncategorisedLeave a comment on Hepatitis B Community Education Projects in South Australia Hepatitis B community education projects are rolling out around Australia with four in full swing in South Australia.
First off the rank in SA was a project with the Filipino community which Hepatitis SA is carrying out in partnership with the Filipino Settlement Coordinating Council of South Australia (FSCCSA).
Continue reading “Hepatitis B Community Education Projects in South Australia”
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories Uncategorised4 Comments on New Improved Hepatitis B Medicine to be Considered for PBS As Australians with hepatitis C are being cured at unprecedented rates, there is promise of a better medicine for those living with chronic hepatitis B who need treatment.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) will, in March, consider for recommendation, a new medicine which promises the same efficacy as current drugs but with less toxic side effects.
The current medicine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), is effective in suppressing the hepatitis B virus but is also linked to bone density loss and renal dysfunction in some patients. This is due to the high level of tenofovir circulating in the body.
Continue reading “New Improved Hepatitis B Medicine to be Considered for PBS”
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories UncategorisedLeave a comment on Saliva, Cricket and Viral Diseases – Hysteria Resurfaces Misinformation has reared its ugly head again as South Australians waded into the debate over the Du Plessis ball tampering drama.
The South African cricket captain’s controversial habit of polishing the ball with his saliva earned him a fine, and raised a storm of letters to The Advertiser. Among them was one titled “Dirty Saliva”, from Robert McRitchie, which proclaimed dramatically, and wrongly, that “SALIVA is a perfect medium for transmission of infectious viral diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, just to name two.”
Continue reading “Saliva, Cricket and Viral Diseases – Hysteria Resurfaces”
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories UncategorisedLeave a comment on Treating Children with HBV – Predictors of Success A unique longitudinal real life study on entecavir-treated children and adolescents have found that HBV DNA results at six and twelve months after starting treatment, are predictors of viral suppression. Another predictor of success is an age of infection at 10 years or older.
The study results, based on data collected from 44 patients, support entecavir as a safe and effective treatment for adolescents with chronic hepatitis B.
Believed to be the first long-term study on hepatitis B treatment for children and adolescents, the research also found that duration of entecavir therapy was an important factor in achieving successful outcomes. On average, the odds of undetectable hepatitis B DNA increases by about five per cent with each additional month of therapy.
Continue reading “Treating Children with HBV – Predictors of Success”
