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A simple $ 20 blood test could help diagnose thousands of patients in need of treatment in some of the poorest areas of Africa.
Researchers have developed a precise diagnostic score that consists of inexpensive blood tests. treatment against the deadly virus of hepatitis B – which can lead to liver damage or cancer.
The score consists of two simple blood tests: one measure the presence of antigens, the proteins produced by the virus and the other response, to accurately badess patients for treatment.
The score was found to be as accurate as existing methods for identifying patients requiring immediate treatment, but at a fraction of the cost – $ 20 compared to $ 100 to $ 500 for current tests.
It is also much more accessible than existing methods – such as liver biopsy or HBV DNA, a much more complicated blood sample badysis – that requires labs and labs that are not always accessible in sub-Saharan Africa.
Researchers from Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council of The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute of Paris and The European institutions used data from hundreds of Hepatitis B patients in The Gambia who were part of the PROLIFICA (Prevention of Hepatic Fibrosis and Cancer in Africa) study.
Clinical data from more than 800 patients with hepatitis B tested Prolifica program was used to develop this new score.
The tests were then validated with data from African patients in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The results are published in the Journal of Hepatology
The new diagnostic test, called Treat-B, was found to accurately identify HBV-positive patients who require treatment in 85% of cases (sensitivity). 779003] Scientists say more research is needed, but if the test is successful in larger studies, it could be widely used to identify patients needing treatment for hepatitis B and refer thousands of people for a treatment that can save their lives. The test could also be developed for use as a finger prick test, similar to those used to detect HIV, to obtain faster results.
The researchers also found that the diagnostic method worked at all stages of the disease. Dr. Maud Lemoine of Imperial, co-author of the study, comments: "These findings show that this simple and inexpensive test could be a precise way to verify that people in the early stages of liver disease without symptoms could be detected and identified
. to diagnose patients in need of treatment for hepatitis B in resource-limited countries.
"This could potentially help diagnose and then treat thousands of people in Africa."
Yusuke Shimakawa, co-author of the Pasteur Institute: Once these findings validated by other studies, they could potentially be incorporated into the WHO guidelines and local guidelines – and implemented in daily practice.
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Viral hepatitis is a major global health problem and in 2013, about 1.45 million people died of the virus. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the world and nearly half of deaths are attributable to infection with the hepatitis B virus.
The hepatitis virus B infects about 250 million people worldwide and is transmitted through blood and body fluids. In Africa, it is usually transferred from mother to child at birth or between children. However, the virus does not cause any immediate symptoms and can remain undetectable in the body for decades until it causes severe complications such as liver damage (cirrhosis) and cancer.
The region most affected by hepatitis B is sub-Saharan Africa. 80 million people are infected.
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