Kusuri-no-Check

"Check-up Your Medicines to Save Your Life"

No.4 Hepatitis & Interferon

Contents

Message

The aim of "Kusuri-no-Check": sharing information between citizens/patients and health professionals
BEPPU, Hirokuni
Editor in Chief, The Informed Prescriber (Japan)

Main Feature: Hepatitis

■What's liver diseases?
■No 2 cause of death for male in the sixties in Japan
HAMA, Rokuro
■What's hepatitis?
　Introduction of disposable needle/syringe possibly decreased the infection of hepatitis B and C dramatically.
■Hepatitis C
　Most of the hepatitis C virus carriers don't die from hepatitis but from other causes.
■Interferon therapy for chronic hapatitis C
　Useful for active chronic hepatitis C but not recommended in non-active, persistence hepatitis or person in only carrier state with normal transaminase level.

Series

■Coffee Break "Dont't be deceived by advertisement"---"QP Kowa i"
■Film
KIMOTO, Yasusuke
■The Relay Essay "Cholesterol lowering agent dependency"
HARUMOTO, Sachiko
■Tricks in Assessment/Approval of New Drugs:
　Is the use of interferon for chronic "non-active" hepatitis C based on evidence?
■Bioethics in Lay Language 4 "Bioethics of Placebo (3)"
TANIDA, Noritoshi
■How to Communicate with Doctors---Case Studies
　Psychiatric therapy: story of hospital transference by second opinion and recovery
■Visit: Citizens' Society for Medical Records Disclosure 5th Anniversary Symposium

Topic

■Harms of anti-anxiety drugs and hypnotics:
Scandalous drug of the century-----Halcion (triazolam)
■Editorial
　Need of true assessment of drugs that takes long-term benefit into account, not only immediate benefit.
HAMA, Rokuro

■List of anti-hypertensive drugs

■Readers' Voice

■Correspondence

Words Frequently Heard at Hospital

  • GOT, GPT----checking up damages on liver cells
  • Sensitivity of tests----use different methods of tests suitable for each purpose
  • Viral hepatitis-----chronic viral hepatitis has risk of cancer
  • Window period-----blind spot in the test on blood transfusion infection
  • Post-transfusion hepatitis-----Virus check reduces the incidence
  • Virus marker----- to find out infection with antigens, antibodies etc.
  • Tumor marker-----Two types are effective for hepatic cancer.
  • False positive-----Do not believe too much in a test result at a single time.
  • Multiple organ failure-----Early diagnosis and treatment are important