Health sites too complex, full of cliches: study

(Reuters Health) - The importance of health literacy hit home for Lisa Gualtieri when a Cambodian refugee diagnosed with cancer asked her to act as a patient advocate.

She played the role of a "salty tongue," a Cambodian expression that paints outspokenness in a positive light. But even though the patient's family was in the room when doctors took the time to answer every last question about test results and treatment options, the refugee's family would call Gualtieri hours later to review what doctors had said.

A new study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggests one potential reason for the family's confusion: Despite good intentions, many experts may be creating educational materials that are too difficult for patients and their families to grasp.

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Action Alert: Urge Your Members of Congress to Participate in Historic Viral Hepatitis Testing Event

Action Alert

Urge Your Members of Congress to Participate in Historic Viral Hepatitis Testing Event

On Thursday, May 23^rd, the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus, leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and partners in community will hold a hepatitis B and C education and testing event at the United States Capitol. It will take place in the foyer of the Rayburn Building from 10 am to 2 pm. Members of Congress, their staff, and the local community will receive free hepatitis B and C testing and information about viral hepatitis.

It is vital that we get Members of Congress and their staff to participate in this event.  Despite the efforts of our champions in the Viral Hepatitis Caucus, Congress has failed to act in a meaningful way to fight an epidemic that needlessly kills over 15,000 people per year. All Members of Congress and their staff should take a few minutes to show their support and help increase awareness.

Please call your elected officials now and ask them to attend.

What you can do:

Call the offices of your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators. Ask to speak to the staff person who handles health care issues. Whether you speak to this person live or leave a message, tell him/her:

“My name is _____________ and I live in city/state. May is Hepatitis Awareness Month and I strongly urge Senator/Representative______________  and his/her staff to participate in the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Testing Event on May 23^rd, from 10 am to 2 pm, in the foyer of the Rayburn building. There will be free hepatitis B and C testing and information. Over 5 million Americans have hepatitis B or C and the majority don’t know it. Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer, one of the fastest growing cancers in the nation. Representative/Senator_____________ can show his/her support by appearing at this important event and ensuring that staff attends as well. I also urge him/her to join the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus by contacting Congressman Hank Johnson or Congressman Charlie Dent’s office.”

You can reach your Representative and Senators through the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121.

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference!


Ryan Clary
Director of Public Policy and Programs
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
(415) 235-8593
rclary@nvhr.org

HCV patients with late viral breakthrough have similar characteristics

ORLANDO, Fla. — Viral breakthrough during the interferon/ribavirin phase of hepatitis C triple therapy was associated with genotype 1a and advanced liver fibrosis, similar to findings in previous clinical trials, according to study data presented here at Digestive Disease Week.

“We’ve noticed that there are patients who were experiencing viral breakthrough later in treatment,” Kali Zhou, MD, a resident in the department of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Infectious Disease News. “We did see later viral breakthrough in clinical trials, but we haven’t evaluated whether the characteristics of our breakthrough patients were similar to those who broke through in clinical trials.”

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HBV may increase risk for non-hodgkin lymphoma

ORLANDO — Infection with hepatitis B virus may be a risk factor for non-hodgkin lymphoma, according to data presented here at Digestive Disease Week 2013.

Researchers from the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin conducted a meta-analysis that included 19 case-control studies performed throughout the world. The analysis included a total of 13,947 cases and 1,559,448 controls. In nine of the studies, the controls were non-lymphoma cancer/hospital patients; eight studies incorporated healthy controls, and two studies included both types of controls. In most of the studies (17), patients were diagnosed with hepatitis B by detection of HBsAg, while hepatitis B was self-reported in the remaining two studies. All incidences of non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) were diagnosed with histopathology.



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Hep C Infections Largely Undiscovered

Hepatitis C infections unknown to many of those infected and treatment rates are low

(dailyRx News) Hepatitis C is a term many people are familiar with, but don’t really devote much thought to – and that may represent part of a very serious problem.

A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that only around half of people infected with hepatitis C are aware they are infected, with even fewer people being referred to medical care — and still fewer being successfully treated.

"Ask your doctor if you should be tested for Hep C."

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Hepatitis B cases increase in region

NKY Health Department offers vaccines program

Northern Kentucky Health Department is offering vaccines to people at high risk for hepatitis B as the region fights a rise in diagnoses of the disease.

Those who qualify will receive a series of three vaccines over six months at a low cost, thanks to a Kentucky Department for Public Health grant, said Joyce Rice, epidemiology manager for the NKY Health Department.

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Triple therapy for hepatitis C is effective after liver transplantation, but side-effects are common

Adding the approved HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir (Incivo or Incivek) to pegylated interferon and ribavirin can increase sustained viral response rates even for difficult-to-treat liver transplant recipients, but adverse events are common, researchers reported at the 48^th International Liver Congress (EASL 2013) last month in Amsterdam.

While many hepatitis C patients await interferon-free direct-acting antiviral regimens, others have advanced liver disease and need treatment now. This group includes liver transplant recipients, as HCV almost always recurs and infects the new liver in the absence of treatment.

Elizabeth Verna from Columbia University and fellow investigators with the CRUSH-C study evaluated triple therapy in a cohort of liver transplant recipients at six US centres.

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