The diagnosis of NASH and chronic hepatitis has become very often today. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, adipositas (over weight), metabolic syndrome or patients reduced sensitivity to insulin are susceptible to NASH. According to the micro-census conducted in 2005, about 49 percent of the population in Hessen are over weight, well every second person can be affected.
NASH is caused by disturbance balance between production of neutral fat by the liver cells and release of this neutral fat into the blood stream. The fatty changes in the liver cells leads to inflammation of the liver tissue through a complex mechanism. This results in death of liver cells due to chronic inflammation. On the long term this leads to fibrous changes and in advanced cases lead to liver cirrhosis. "Due to increasing cases of obesity and unhealthy eating habits the incidence of NASH is going to increase in Germany, 2 to 4 percent of the population already suffer from the disease", says Professor Zeuzem.
Like any other liver disease the symptoms of hepatitis-C are also unspecific. The prognosis on delayed diagnosis is even worse. The HCV-infection which causes chronic infection of the liver and destroys the genetic make-up of the liver cells, is considered one of the main predisposing factors causing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer. In about 30 percent of patients depending on the age, hepatitis -C also leads to liver cirrhosis. The Medical School of Hannover reports that the association of hepatitis with HCC has "dramatically increased" of late, that is more than half the patients with HCC had chronic viral hepatitis. The early diagnosis of hepatitis-C therefore plays a deciding role in diagnosing liver cancers and effectively treating them.
"We offer our patients an efficiently networked medical and research centre established keeping in mind the importance of complications of liver diseases like NASH, viral hepatitis, autoimmune diseases and alcohol toxicity", explains Prof. Zeuzem. "This is especially important for prevention of chronic infection and life threatening complications of liver disease", says Prof. Zeuzem.

 

Document Date: 2007/06/14   Author: Ahmed Koujan

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