On June 29, KHEIR and Gilead Sciences sponsored a free liver health seminar for the community. Dr. Ho S. Bae spoke about the importance of maintaining good liver health and discussed the impact of liver cancer and Hepatitis B on the Korean American population. About 50 guests attended the seminar and were treated to a light dinner, courtesy of Gilead Sciences at the JJ Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. Gilead Sciences is a leading pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes therapeutics to advance patient care.

The liver is a crucial organ that performs many functions including the storage of vitamins and nutrients, metabolism of nutrients, control of glucose levels in the blood, production of clotting factors and inactivation of toxic drugs and other chemicals. There are many things you can do to maintain a healthy liver:

 

> Flush your system by drinking eight glasses of water a day.

> Consider a low-fat, low-sodium and high-fiber diet.

> Maintain adequate protein and body weight.

> Do not eat raw or scavenger fish such as catfish. They may contain chemicals and bacteria that are dangerous to the liver.

> Eat small meals frequently to help the liver work less.

For Korean Americans, keeping a healthy liver is especially important. They are eight times more at risk for developing liver cancer caused by Hepatitis B than Caucasians. Half of the mortalities caused by Hepatitis B are people of Asian descent. Korean Americans, second only to Vietnamese Americans, are the most likely Asian sub-population to become infected with this disease. There is not a known genetic or physiological reason for the high rate of infection in Korean Americans.

Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver and may cause cirrhosis in addition to cancer. The virus is transmitted through direct blood-to-blood contact, unprotected sex, use of un-sterile needles and can be passed from an infected woman to her newborn during the delivery process, although this is unlikely. The disease is often referred to as a “silent killer” because, while some may experience fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea and stomach pains, 70 percent of people that become infected show no symptoms.

The good news is that a simple blood test can tell you if you have been infected. There is also a safe and effective vaccine to protect you and your loved ones against Hepatitis B. KHEIR provides immunizations for a $35 processing fee per Hepatitis B shot. Initial screening and doctor visits are not included in the processing fee, although KHEIR may be able to offer free screening to those that qualify for existing programs for low-income uninsured individuals. KHEIR can also help low-income patients qualify for government assistance programs and work with patients diagnosed with the disease to qualify them for treatment assistance programs. All sexual partners, family and close household members of a chronically infected person should be screened and vaccinated.