Yellow July: Unimed Teresina Promotes Hepatitis Prevention Awareness

During the "Yellow July" campaign, Unimed Teresina is emphasizing the critical importance of preventing viral hepatitis, which often progresses silently and can lead to severe complications like cirrhosis and liver cancer if not diagnosed early. The campaign highlights prevention, vaccination, testing, and early diagnosis, noting that many forms of hepatitis are now preventable, controllable, or curable with timely detection. Gastroenterologist Salustiano Neves da Silva Neto from Unimed Teresina explains that a lack of symptoms does not indicate an absence of disease, as the liver can maintain function despite inflammation. Initial symptoms are often nonspecific, such as fatigue and loss of appetite, easily mistaken for other conditions. As the disease advances, more specific signs like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, and dark urine may appear, progressing to swelling, edema, bleeding, and neurological changes in later stages. Individuals with risk factors, including exposure to contaminated blood, unprotected sex, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, or high cholesterol, should seek medical evaluation even without symptoms. Diagnostic processes involve detailed medical assessment, blood tests, viral hepatitis serologies, and imaging like ultrasounds. Beyond viral hepatitis, lifestyle factors such as excessive alcohol, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and indiscriminate use of medications, anabolic steroids, supplements, and even natural products can damage the liver. Dr. Neto cautions that some natural products can be harmful without medical guidance. Healthy habits, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, weight control, and reduced intake of ultra-processed foods, are crucial for preventing fatty liver accumulation and inflammation. He stresses that fatty liver disease (steatosis), especially when co-occurring with viral hepatitis, can accelerate disease progression and increase the risk of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. For diagnosed hepatitis patients, regular medical follow-up, adherence to treatment, alcohol avoidance, avoiding unprescribed medications/supplements, maintaining vaccinations, and preventing transmission are essential.