Tam Anh and Stanford tested for hepatitis D for the first time in Vietnam

Participants only need to visit once and do a blood test to detect whether they are infected with the hepatitis D virus or not, all testing costs within the scope of the study will be free.

The large-scale testing project is part of the International Hepatitis D Study - called HEP-D, which aims to assess the rate of hepatitis D infection in hepatitis B patients, aiming to research and develop specific drugs.

HEP-D is a joint research project between Tam Anh Research Institute under Tam Anh General Hospital System and Stanford Institute for Microbiology and Epidemiology (USA).

Dr. Phuong Le Tri, Executive Director of Tam Anh Research Institute, said this is the first study with the largest scale ever in Vietnam on hepatitis D, aiming to help people with hepatitis BD have more opportunities to detect early, proactively prevent cirrhosis and liver cancer more effectively.

The study also lays the foundation for programs to promote research and provide treatment regimens and drugs for hepatitis D in the near future, increasing opportunities for Vietnamese patients to access new treatment drugs; improving the capacity to diagnose and treat hepatitis in general according to international standards of the domestic hospital system.

The HEP-D study is one of four important projects that Tam Anh Research Institute and Stanford Institute for Microbiology and Epidemiology have signed a cooperation agreement on since 2023, during the reciprocal state visits of the two governments of Vietnam and the United States.

Standardizing world testing, officially "revealing the secret" about hepatitis D in Vietnam

Master - Specialist Doctor 2 Le Thanh Quynh Ngan, Head of the Hepatitis and Fatty Liver Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that hepatitis D virus only appears in people infected with hepatitis B virus.

When entering the body, the virus causes more severe liver damage than hepatitis B alone. When these two viruses "go together," the progression of cirrhosis and liver cancer increases 2-3 times faster. Many people with hepatitis B develop cirrhosis quickly, becoming severe in just a few years, sometimes due to the co-infection of hepatitis D.

Determining hepatitis D virus requires very specific tests, which are not easy to perform and require more complex techniques than conventional hepatitis B tests.

To research HEP-D according to international standards, Tam Anh Research Institute and Tam Anh General Hospital System have invested in a synchronous system of specialized modern hepatitis D virus testing equipment worth tens of billions of VND.

At the same time, experts from the Stanford Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology directly trained the team of doctors and technicians of the Testing Center and Research Institute of Tam Anh General Hospital on specialized techniques.

Tam Anh General Hospital System also owns a modern Pathology-Cytopathology Center and meets the world's leading standards in pathology such as comprehensive CAP, ISO 15189:2012, prestigious certification from the American Pathological Society. With leading testing capacity, Tam Anh aims to become a center for receiving and processing specimens for patients with hepatitis D in the region and internationally.

In addition to its outstanding testing and pathology capabilities, Tam Anh General Hospital System also possesses a series of modern technologies and equipment in diagnosing and evaluating diseases closely related to hepatitis B, D and other diseases of the liver and bile, including the Acuson Sequoia ultrasound system; GE E10s and GE Fortis combined with the new ARFI ultrasound elastography technology; the world's leading system of "super machines" CT with more than 100,000 slices, CT with 1975 slices and MRI 3 Tesla.

Officially accepting registration from patients

In order to encourage hepatitis B patients to get tested to assess the risk of co-infection in order to have an effective disease control plan, maintain their health and ensure the safety of the community, Tam Anh Research Institute fully sponsored the first nearly 2,500 tests.

From November 25, 3 hospitals conducting research (Tam Anh General Hospital Hanoi, Tam Anh General Hospital Ho Chi Minh City and Bach Mai Hospital) will start recruiting patients.

Dr. Phuong Le Tri said that participants only need to come for a one-time visit and have a blood test to detect whether they are infected with the hepatitis D virus or not. All costs for testing within the scope of the study will be free. At the same time, participants will be supported with a part of their travel expenses.

Participation is completely voluntary, and patients can withdraw at any time without affecting their regular examination and treatment."

Professor Harry B. Greenberg, the “father” of the first generation Rota vaccine, Advisor to the Stanford Institute for Microbiology and Epidemiology (blue shirt) directly visited and worked at the ISO 15189:2012 certified Testing Center at Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City from December 2023. (Source: Tam Anh General Hospital)

The HEP-D study between two leading research institutes in Vietnam and the United States is expected to provide healthcare managers and experts in the field of hepatitis in Vietnam with more accurate scientific data of an unprecedented magnitude in Vietnam, thereby providing more data to develop more effective strategies for managing hepatitis in Vietnam.

At the same time, Tam Anh Research Institute also hopes to soon bring the drug invented to treat hepatitis D by Stanford scientists to Vietnam in the context of no specific drug yet./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tam-anh-va-stanford-lan-dau-xet-nghiem-viem-gan-d-tai-viet-nam-post1079098.vnp