16 July 2017: Understanding liver diseases and its early detection is important as they are known to be silent killers. Hepatitis C and fatty liver may not manifest early symptoms but both conditions may result in liver cancer.
Barriers to Hepatitis C treatment would be asymptomatic infection, poor awareness and financial constrains. It was also highlighted that liver cancer [hepatocellular carcinoma] is the 5th most common malignancy in the world and it is number 7 in Malaysia. The increase incidence of liver cancer over the next decade will be due to Hepatitis B and spreading numbers of Hepatitis C. Patients with fatty liver may further contribute to the liver cancer statistics. Importance of exercise and diet control was emphasised. Treatment for liver diseases are found to be successful today provided taken at an early stage.
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican and Datuk Dr Harjit Singh jointly spoke at Prince Court Medical Centre GP symposium today in the presence of 50 GPs and the CEO of Prince Court Medical Centre Mr Chong Yee Mun and Medical Director PM Care Sdn Bhd Dr Mohd Helmi Ismail.