Z Gastroenterol 2006; 44 - A150
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-943516

Do we talk about it? assessing knowledge about chronic B C hepatitis

M Varga 1, K Csefkó 1
  • 13rd Department of Internal Medicine, Réthy Pál Hospital, Békéscsaba

Introduction: Chronic C hepatitis is a major public health problem.

According to epidemiologic estimates there are about 70.000 infected people in Hungary and 400 million world-wide. Despite the prevalence, people's knowledge about the disease, the spread, therapy and prevention of the infection is very limited.

Aims: To assess the knowledge of medical workers (n=100) and patients (n=94) presenting in our hospital about chronic B and C hepatitis.

Methods: Participants completed anonymously a questionnaire containing 19 questions.

Results: The average age of the patients and the medical workers was 48.1 and 37.7 years, resp. 76% of the patients and 86% of the medical workers were female. Responding of education 20 and 75% of the medical workers had secondary or higher qualification, whilst 21, 32 and 37% of the patients had elementary, secondary or higher qualification. Participants were questioned about the possible ways of virus spread, about immunisation and immunity against hepatitis B, about therapy and proposed precautions of medical workers.

They were questioned that if they were infected patients, to whom would they tell it, or at which medical examination would they inform anybody about their condition. Interestingly 11% of the patients and 2% of the medical workers thought that the virus can spread by handshake, too. According to their answers 94, 69 and 59% of the medical workers and 75, 49 and 12% of the patients thought that hepatitis C can spread by blood, sexual intercourse or tattooing. 55% of the patients belived that medical workers take all proposed precautions to protect patients and themselves, but 68% of the medical workers gave a negative answer to this question.

Conclusions: The difference between the answers of medical workers and patients confirms that our efforts on continuous training of doctors and healthcare professionals are useful. We should make every effort to realize proposed precautions to stop spreading of the disease. Informing the public is a major role of the hepatologist, which can help patients getting to special centrums earlier, and enhance prevention.