What is hepatitis C? How dangerous is it? Is there a cure for this disease? Can this type of liver disease lead to death? Here''s the answer.
Here is the most important information about hepatitis C
What is meant by hepatitis C?
It is an inflammation of the liver tissue caused by exposure to the hepatitis C virus, and it can cause permanent damage to the liver. The severity of the inflammation varies according to its type, as the aforementioned virus may cause acute short-term inflammation, or long-term chronic inflammation.
While the acute form can sometimes be cured within weeks or months, more than half of the cases often develop chronic inflammation, which can raise the severity of the disease. Chronic hepatitis C can cause fatal complications.
Patients with the chronic type often do not show any symptoms, so many may not realize their infection until in the later stages, when symptoms appear, the damage to the liver has reached serious stages.
Certain medications can cure hepatitis in more than 95% of cases, especially if the patient gets treatment early. There is no vaccine available for this type of hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C causes and risk factors
This inflammation is caused by exposure to the hepatitis C virus, and this virus has several types, each of which may respond to treatment in a different way. When the virus enters the body, it begins to invade liver cells, causing inflammation and dysfunction, and this defect may turn into permanent damage over time.
1. Methods of spreading the virus
The virus is usually transmitted through blood or various body fluids, through:
Sharing syringes or injectable medications or being pricked with an incorrectly contaminated needle.
Childbirth, as an infected mother may pass the virus on to her baby during childbirth.
Direct exposure to contaminated blood or sores on the body of an infected person.
Using the personal care items of an infected individual, such as: toothbrushes, razors, and nail clippers.
Getting a tattoo or piercing using contaminated tools.
Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected partner.
2. The most vulnerable groups
Here is a list of the most important ones
Patients undergoing certain treatments, such as: dialysis and hemodialysis.
Those who underwent blood transfusions or organ transplants before 1992.
Newborns of mothers infected with hepatitis C.
People with these diseases: AIDS, liver disease, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Prisoners or prison staff.
People who have been exposed to contaminated blood or used contaminated syringes.
People born between 1945-1965.
People whose liver tests returned abnormal results for no apparent reason.
Users of illegal drugs.
It is preferable that the aforementioned groups undergo hepatitis C tests to ensure that they are not infected with the virus.
Types and symptoms of hepatitis C
This inflammation has several types, here are the details
1. Acute hepatitis C infection
This type is short-term, and its symptoms may appear 2-12 weeks after exposure to the virus, to accompany the patient for a period of up to 6 months. These are the most expected symptoms:
Fever.
Anorexia.
nausea or vomiting
Tired and stressed.
Pain in: joints, abdomen.
Dark urine.
Jaundice, in some rare cases.
Sometimes, the body may be able to get rid of the virus, but the disease often develops into a chronic phase, especially since the majority of cases do not show symptoms on the patient, in addition to that symptoms, even if they appear, may resemble symptoms of other diseases, which may delay diagnosis and treatment.
2. Chronic hepatitis C
It is common for the acute type to turn into a chronic type over time, as the body may be unable to get rid of the virus, so that the inflammation will accompany the patient’s body for a long period of time.
Often, this type does not cause any symptoms, but in some cases it may lead to the patient feeling general symptoms, such as: depression and general fatigue.
If the condition is not diagnosed early, and the patient does not receive the necessary medical care, the condition may worsen and serious complications may arise, such as:
Chronic liver disease.
cirrhosis of the liver
Liver Cancer.
liver failure.
These complications usually tend to develop slowly over decades, and eventually, infection and its complications can lead to death.
Diagnosis of hepatitis C
After taking the patient''s medical history and subjecting him to a physical examination, these are the expected examinations:
A simple blood test: to measure the levels of antibodies specific to the virus, but monitoring these antibodies does not necessarily mean that the infection is active.
Hepatitis C RNA test: to detect the presence of the virus in the blood, if the antibody test results are positive.
Genotype test: to determine the type of virus.
Other tests to determine the extent of liver damage: such as liver biopsy, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE).
Hepatitis C treatment
Here is an overview of the options
1. Antivirals
These medications aim to get rid of the virus completely, and are available in the form of oral medications or injections, such as:
Sofosbuvir.
Peginterferon alfa-2a.
2. Liver transplantation
This option may be used if the infection caused significant damage to the liver, but transplanting a new liver may not necessarily mean recovery from the virus, as the patient may need to use antivirals to prevent the virus from damaging the new liver.
