GPs need better education on liver disease, survey shows

Family doctors should be more informed about the liver disease hepatitis C, according to a survey led by two professors in the run-up to World Hepatitis Day this week.

About 70,000 people in Belgium are infected with hepatitis C, and the disease causes about 300 deaths a year. Around half of infected Belgians don’t know they have the disease, because there are no clear symptoms. Professor Sven Francque of University Hospital Antwerp and Yves Horsmans of University Hospital Saint-Luc in Brussels, who led the survey, believe there should be more investment in screening, prevention and treatment of the disease.

Their study showed a need for better education and training concerning the topic. One in five GPs thinks there is a vaccine against the disease, which is not the case. About half believe wrongly that a thorough cleaning of blood transfusion devices is sufficient to avoid infections, while two in five don’t know that the disease can be cured in 90% of cases.

Last year, a more efficient treatment was introduced on the local market, though the cost is currently only refunded for patients in an advanced stage of the disease. From next year, the refund might be available to more patients.

Photo: Ingimage

GPs need better education on liver disease, survey shows