World Hepatitis Day and Hepatitis Negligence
July 28, 2021
Today (28th July) is World Hepatitis Day. World Hepatitis Day (WHD) takes places every year on 28th July bringing the world together under a single theme to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change. Some types of hepatitis will pass without any serious problems, while others can be long-lasting (chronic) and cause scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), loss of liver function and, in some cases, liver cancer. As Hepatitis can cause such serious problems, a person suffering with the disease may experience Hepatitis negligence.
Hepatitis
According to the NHS, Hepatitis is the term used to describe inflammation of the liver. It’s usually the result of a viral infection or liver damage caused by drinking alcohol.
There are times when Hepatitis has no symptoms. This is known as acute Hepatitis. If it does have symptoms, these symptoms include:
- muscle and joint pain
- a high temperature
- nausea and vomiting
- feeling unusually tired all the time
- a general sense of feeling unwell
- loss of appetite
- dark urine or pale, grey-coloured stools
- jaundice
There are five main hepatitis viruses. These are types A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis C is the most common type of viral hepatitis in the UK. It is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person. Poor healthcare practices, sharing drug needles and unsafe medical injections are the main ways it spreads.
Hepatitis C often causes no noticeable symptoms, or only flu-like symptoms, so many people are unaware they’re infected. Around 1 in 4 people will fight off the infection and be free of the virus. In the remaining cases, it’ll stay in the body for many years. This is chronic hepatitis C and can cause cirrhosis and liver failure. It may also cause liver cancer.
Hepatitis Negligence
As the most common type of Hepatitis in the UK is Hepatitis C, the symptoms can lead to a person suffering hepatitis negligence. One of the main ways this could happen is through a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Negligence happens when a Doctor or other medical professional fails to spot the red flag symptoms of the disease. This may mean that they do not refer a person for further tests, which can cause the disease to develop or worsen. It may even mean that the disease has caused enough damage that it has led to a worse condition. In the worst cases, these conditions may be incurable, such as advanced liver cancer.
If a Doctor or other medical professional fails to spot the red flag symptoms of Hepatitis, and so do not refer you, and this causes the effects to develop or worsen, then you may be able to make a Hepatitis negligence claim.
How We Can Help
Here at The Medical Negligence Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with medical negligence claims. This includes Hepatitis negligence claims. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138761 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.