The World Health Organization has issued its first-ever hepatitis B guidelines that outline how to determine who needs treatment, what medicines to use and how to monitor patients long-term.
The chronic hepatitis B virus affects 240 million people worldwide, roughly 650,000 of whom die every year from the viral infection, cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Highlighted below are a few recommendations included in the WHO report.
- Use a few, simple noninvasive tests to assess the stage of liver disease to help identify who needs treatment.
- Prioritize treatment for those with cirrhosis — the most advanced stage of liver disease.
- Use two safe and highly effective medicines, tenofovir or entecavir, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.
- Monitor patients regularly using simple tests for early detection of liver cancer to assess whether treatment is working and if treatment can be stopped.
The WHO also included recommendations for the needs of specific populations — including individuals co-infected with HIV, children and adolescents, and pregnant women — and encouraged the vaccination of children against hepatitis B.
For the full report, click here.
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