On May 15, the Hepatitis B Foundation and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company will launch the third-annual “AIM for the B: Awareness, Involvement and Mobilization for Chronic Hepatitis B” program, a public education initiative designed to elevate awareness of chronic hepatitis B as a serious health issue in the United States and emphasize the importance of disease management, especially among Asian Americans who are disproportionately affected with the disease. The program will take place May 15-22 to coincide with “National Hepatitis B Awareness Week,” as declared by the Hepatitis B Foundation.
In honor of “National Hepatitis B Awareness Week” two events focused on raising awareness for chronic hepatitis B are taking place in May.
Congressional Briefing on Chronic Hepatitis B
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Noon to 1:30 p.m. (Boxed lunch will be available)
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2325 (Science Committee Hearing Room)
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Speakers include:
Charlie Dent, U.S. Representative (R-PA)
Mike Honda, U.S. Representative (D-CA)
Dr. Timothy Block, president and co-founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation
Dr. Jay Hoofnagle, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Dr. Leonard Seeff, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Dr. John Ward, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Dr. Kris Kowdley, University of Washington; Division of Gastroenterology
Arline Loh, chronic hepatitis B patient
Roundtable Discussion on Chronic Hepatitis B
Thursday, May 18, 2006
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (Continental Breakfast will be served)
University of Southern California (USC) Hospital Plaza in Los Angeles
Herklotz Conference Room in the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute
Speakers include:
Joan Block, co-founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation
Dr. Tse-Ling Fong, Medical Director of the USC Liver Transplant Program
Dr. Tram Tran, Medical Director, Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Arline Loh, chronic hepatitis B patient
Hepatitis B and Asian Americans
What is the rate of chronic hepatitis B infection in Asian Americans?
Worldwide, 80 percent of the approximately 350 million people diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B infection are of Asian descent. In the United States, Asians account for more than half of the chronic hepatitis B cases and half of the deaths resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection.2 Approximately one out of every 10 Asian Americans is chronically infected with hepatitis B.
Chinese Americans have a five to six times higher risk for liver cancer caused by hepatitis B than Caucasian Americans.
Among Chinese American men, incidence of liver cancer is about five times higher than in Caucasian men and about three times higher than in African American or Hispanic men.
Korean Americans have an eight times higher risk for liver cancer caused by hepatitis B than Caucasian Americans.
Vietnamese Americans have a 13 times higher risk for liver cancer caused by hepatitis B than Caucasian Americans.
How is hepatitis B transmitted among Asian Americans?
Although hepatitis B can be transmitted by blood transfusions, sharing or reusing needles for injection or tattoos, and unprotected sex, many Asian Americans become infected when they are infants or young children. Frequently, transmission of the hepatitis B virus occurs during the birthing process when the virus is passed on from the mother (who is often unaware that she has chronic hepatitis B) to her child. Up to 20,000 women who give birth each year in the United States have chronic hepatitis B infection, of them approximately 54 percent are of Asian descent.
The hepatitis B virus also can be transmitted during early childhood through direct contact with blood of infected individuals, occurring from contact between open wounds, sharing contaminated toothbrushes or razors, or through contaminated medical/dental tools.
Why is hepatitis B more prevalent in Asian Americans?
The hepatitis B virus is very common in many countries in Asia. Anyone who has not been vaccinated can get infected with the hepatitis B virus, but people from areas of the world where the virus is prevalent are more likely to develop chronic hepatitis B infection, and they may not know it. In regions where the hepatitis B virus is common, the virus is more typically acquired early in life—during infancy and early childhood. Because children’s bodies do not fight the virus as an adult’s would, these early cases often develop into chronic hepatitis B infection, and it can be spread to others. In the U.S., chronic hepatitis B is most prevalent in cities with high populations of Asian immigrants.
Why is hepatitis B often not diagnosed, or diagnosed many years after transmitting the disease?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), many people worldwide have contracted the hepatitis B virus, but are not aware of their condition. They may exhibit normal blood tests for liver function and be granted a clean bill of health. Although these hepatitis B patients have no symptoms, they can still transmit the infection and develop liver cancer.
The diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B cannot be made unless the doctor orders a specific blood test that screens for the presence of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), a marker for chronic infection. Since the detection of hepatitis B is so easily missed by patients who have no symptoms and feel healthy, even by doctors, it is up to the patient to specifically request the HBsAg test. Early detection not only benefits the patient, but will also prevent the infection from being passed silently from one child to another, and from one generation to another.
What are the long-term complications associated with chronic hepatitis B?
One in four people diagnosed with the hepatitis B virus may potentially die from liver cancer or liver damage (cirrhosis). Some develop cancer as early as 30 years of age. Every year, approximately one million people worldwide die from chronic hepatitis B because they are diagnosed past the point where medical care and intervention can be effective. Because so many chronic hepatitis B patients may feel perfectly healthy even with early liver cancer, the disease can progress without them even knowing. When symptoms do appear, it is often only at the late stages of their disease. All chronic hepatitis B patients, whether they feel healthy or sick, are at risk for developing liver cancer or liver scarring.
Source: Hepatitis B Foundation