Hepatitis C

Lloyd Wright contracted Hepatitis C in 1979 from 4 blood transfusions A liver biopsy in 1994 revealed Chronic Hepatitis C. After Cancer, Radiation Therapy, Chemotherapy and now Hep C, his liver was in bad shape. The medical establishment advised him to get his papers in order and expect to live another 3 to 5 years, and hope that something would come along to help. 18 years later, he has been virus free for 16 years., with no detectable hepatitis c virus.  Hepatitis C treatment, trials and natural health solutions can be effective, interferon treatments for hepatitis c are often thought of as being worse than living with hepatitis c..

Key facts

• Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus.
• The disease can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong condition that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.
• The hepatitis C virus is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person.
• About 150 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus, and more than 350 000 people die every year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases.
• Hepatitis C is curable using antivirals.
• There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C; however, research in this area is ongoing.

Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis C virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness.

The hepatitis C virus is usually spread when blood from an infected person enters the body of a susceptible person. It is among the most common viruses that infect the liver.

Every year, 3–4 million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus. About 150 million people are chronically infected and at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and/or liver cancer. More than 350 000 people die from hepatitis C-related liver diseases every year.

Geographical distribution

Hepatitis C is found worldwide. Countries with high rates of chronic infection are Egypt (15%), Pakistan (4.8%) and China (3.2%). The main mode of transmission in these countries is attributed to unsafe injections using contaminated equipment.

Transmission

The hepatitis C virus is most commonly transmitted through exposure to infectious blood. This can occur through:

• receipt of contaminated blood transfusions, blood products and organ transplants;
• injections given with contaminated syringes and needle-stick injuries in health-care settings;
• injection drug use;
• being born to a hepatitis C-infected mother.

Hepatitis C may be transmitted through sex with an infected person or sharing of personal items contaminated with infectious blood, but these are less common.

Hepatitis C is not spread through breast milk, food or water or by casual contact such as hugging, kissing and sharing food or drinks with an infected person.

Symptoms

The incubation period for hepatitis C is 2 weeks to 6 months. Following initial infection, approximately 80% of people do not exhibit any symptoms. Those people who are acutely symptomatic may exhibit fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, grey-coloured faeces, joint pain and jaundice (yellowing of skin and the whites of the eyes).

About 75-85 % of newly infected persons develop chronic disease and 60–70% of chronically infected people develop chronic liver disease; 5–20% develop cirrhosis and 1–5% die from cirrhosis or liver cancer. In 25 % of liver cancer patients, the underlying cause is hepatitis C.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of acute infection is often missed because a majority of infected people have no symptoms. Common methods of antibody detection cannot differentiate between acute and chronic infection. The presence of antibodies against the hepatitis C virus indicates that a person is or has been infected. The hepatitis C virus recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) and hepatitis C virus RNA testing are used to confirm the diagnosis.

Diagnosis of chronic infection is made when antibodies to the hepatitis C virus are present in the blood for more than six months. Similar to acute infections, diagnosis is confirmed with an additional test. Specialized tests are often used to evaluate patients for liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).[1] The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years. In some cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to develop liver failure, liver cancer or life-threatening esophageal and gastric varices. HCV is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact associated with intravenous drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment and transfusions. An estimated 130–170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C. The existence of hepatitis C (originally "non-A non-B hepatitis") was postulated in the 1970s and proven in 1989. Hepatitis C only infects humans and chimpanzees. The virus persists in the liver in about 85% of those infected. This persistent infection can be treated with medication: the standard therapy is a combination of peginterferon and ribavirin, with either boceprevir or telaprevir added in some cases. Overall, 50–80% of people treated are cured. Those who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer may require a liver transplant. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplantation, though the virus usually recurs after transplantation. No vaccine against hepatitis C is available.

As of 2011, no vaccine protects against contracting hepatitis C. However, a number are under development and some have shown encouraging results. A combination of harm reduction strategies, such as the provision of new needles and syringes and treatment of substance use, decrease the risk of hepatitis C in intravenous drug users by about 75%. The screening of blood donors is important at a national level, as is adhering to universal precautions within healthcare facilities. In countries where there is an insufficient supply of sterile syringes, medications should be given orally rather than via injection.