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Understanding Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. Hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure.

Many people don't even know they have hepatitis C until symptoms of liver damage appear. The virus can infect the liver for many years. Some people with hepatitis C experience a short-lived flare-up of the disease and get better over time. However, most people affected by the virus develop chronic hepatitis C.

Although hepatitis C is a fairly serious disease, many people with it are able to control their symptoms and lead active lifestyles.

Causes of hepatitis C

The cause of this disease is the hepatitis C virus, which is spread through contact with the blood of an infected person.

A person is at risk of becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus if:

· uses contaminated syringes to inject drugs. Most people become infected with the virus this way;

· he has had a blood transfusion or organ transplant;

· he will be injected with a syringe that will contain remains of infected blood - most often this happens in developing countries, where syringes are used several times;

· he will get a tattoo or piercing with a needle that will contain contaminated blood residue, which happens if the salon does not follow the appropriate rules for cleaning devices.

In rare cases, if the mother has hepatitis C, the virus can be passed on to the baby. Infection also occurs through accidental contact of a medical facility employee with contaminated blood.

Experts have not yet established whether hepatitis C is sexually transmitted. If this probability exists, it is extremely small.

Hepatitis C is not transmitted when people kiss, hug, sneeze, cough, or eat and drink from the same container.

What are the symptoms of the disease?

For most people, symptoms of hepatitis C do not appear immediately.

Symptoms may include:

· extreme fatigue

· joint pain

· abdominal pain

· itchy skin

· muscle pain

· dark-colored urine

· yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Jaundice usually appears when other symptoms disappear.

Many people who develop chronic hepatitis C never develop symptoms. Therefore, in many cases the disease is diagnosed 10-15 years after infection.

How is hepatitis C diagnosed?

Many people find out that they are infected with the hepatitis C virus accidentally, for example, when they take a blood test. People with hepatitis C virus often have elevated levels of liver enzymes in their blood.

If the doctor suspects that the patient has hepatitis C, he will advise the patient to take a blood test. If the test shows that hepatitis C antibodies are present in the blood, this will mean that the patient has suffered from hepatitis C in the past. The second test, a PCR study, will help determine whether the patient suffers from hepatitis C at the time of the test.

If the PCR test shows that the patient has hepatitis C, the doctor may perform a liver biopsy to determine whether the virus is causing scarring in the liver. During a biopsy, the doctor inserts a needle between the patient's ribs and removes a small piece of liver tissue, which he then examines.

How is hepatitis C treated?

The patient and doctor decide whether the patient should take antiviral drugs to treat hepatitis C. This treatment option is not suitable for everyone. If the liver is not severely damaged, medications may not be needed.

If the patient is still prescribed drug treatment, the most effective is the simultaneous use of peginterferon and ribavirin. The effectiveness of these drugs depends on the degree of liver damage, the amount of virus in the liver, and the type of hepatitis C the patient suffers from.

Good self-care is an important part of hepatitis C treatment. Some patients do not notice a change in their condition. Other patients feel tired, sore, and depressed. Patients benefit from an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. To prevent liver damage, patients should avoid alcohol, drugs, and certain medications that can damage the liver.