Patients who receive treatment for tuberculosis should be concerned about contracting drug-induced hepatitis, medical experts said yesterday.
Every year, more than 15,000 people in Taiwan are infected with some form of hepatitis, and each day about four people die from the disease. The new research reveals another possible method of contracting hepatitis, and doctors are being warned to look for warning signs when treating patients for tuberculosis.
According to research conducted by Taipei Veterans General Hospital on tuberculosis drug-induced hepatitis, some patients with the genotype "c1/c1" are 2.5 times more likely to develop hepatitis than those without the genotype. "The link between the genotype c1/c1 and toxic hepatitis is a red light for both tuberculosis and hepatitis treatment. Doctors should pay attention to whether some patients are exposed to toxic agents during the process of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy," said Huang Yi-shin (
Fifteen percent of the 318 patients monitored who received anti-tuberculosis treatment have developed toxic hepatitis, the research indicated. Most of the hepatitis patients show symptoms of hepatic injury in the first and second month of anti-tuberculosis treatment.
In his paper, "Cytochrome P450 2E1 genotype and the susceptibility to anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatitis," Huang identified the exact mechanism of how toxic hepatitis is induced.
According to Huang, the hyperactivity of the enzyme P450 2E1 will catalyze a poisonous chemical reaction when liver cells digest anti-tuberculosis drugs. In people who carry the c1/c1 genotype, more toxic agents are produced by the enzyme during the process of metabolism.
"We are worried that a high 60 percent of Taiwanese may carry the risky genotype," Huang said.
Huang advised patients who undergo anti-tuberculosis treatment to perform a liver checkup at least once a month. If the patients experience nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and eyes should take blood test or liver biopsy to confirm if they develop hepatitis.
"Our goal is to establish a genetic profile of each patient and then create a shared database," Huang said. "We hope everyone can enjoy personalized prescriptions. In the next two decades, perhaps different drug bags for patients with same disease will be on offer."
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
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