Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses and Associated Risk Factors in Patients Suspected of Liver Diseases in Asmara, Eritrea

Image

Liver diseases are responsible for over one and half million deaths annually and are characterized by permanent inflammatory processes that predispose to liver cancer. The liver is, in many ways, the reflection of a person’s health and should play a central role in worldwide public health policies. Worldwide, annually HBV and HCV related liver diseases kill 1-2 million people. Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) results from an inflammatory injury to the liver, which has persisted for six or more months without complete resolution. CLD comprises a spectrum of disease such as chronic hepatitis, alcoholinduced liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, drug-induced liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current, but probably undervalued, worldwide estimations show that 844 million people have CLDs, with a mortality rate of 2 million deaths per year.