...Hepatitis-C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver. It is spread through blood-to-blood contact, generally associated with intravenous drugs, transfusions, or badly sterilized medical equipment. Hepatitis-C is the leading cause of liver transplants. Routine screening for hepatitis C is not typically performed unless you think you have come in to contact with a person infected with hepatitis C or if you were born between 1945 and 1965 (baby boomer screening). (WebMD, 2014). Treatment requires close monitoring with frequent blood tests and may require additional medications to combat side effects. Treatment is usually provided by someone experienced with treatment of hepatitis C, such as a hepatologist or infectious diseases specialist. However, due to the increasing number of people infected with Hepatitis C, more and more primary care doctors are being trained to manage Hepatitis C. People who may be at risk for hepatitis C are those who: * Have been on long-term kidney dialysis * Have regular contact with blood at work (for instance, as a health care worker) * Have unprotected sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis C (this risk is much less common than hepatitis B, but the risk is higher for those who have many sex partners, already have a sexually transmitted disease, or are infected with HIV) * Inject street drugs or share a needle with someone who has hepatitis C * Received a blood transfusion before July 1992 * Received a tattoo...
Words: 498 - Pages: 2
...Hepatitis C is inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus. About 3.2 million people in the U.S. are infected with hepatitis C, according to the National Institutes of Health. However, most don't know they have it because the virus causes few symptoms. There are at least six different subtypes of the hepatitis C virus. While no one type is more dangerous than another, they do respond differently to treatment. Hepatitis C type 1 is the most common type in the U.S. Unfortunately, the medications we have don't work as well with type 1 as with other subtypes of the virus. Recommended Related to Hepatitis Understanding Hepatitis C -- Symptoms Hepatitis C is a sneaky virus. About 80% of infected people don't have any symptoms of the virus, and their liver shows only a little damage. Many of these people are diagnosed with hepatitis C after showing abnormal liver enzymes on routine blood tests. Other people -- about 10% to 20% -- develop cirrhosis after having the hepatitis C infection for 20 or 30 years. This is when the normal functioning liver is replaced by scar tissue. A smaller number of people develop liver cancer after infection... Read the Understanding Hepatitis C -- Symptoms article > > What Are the Symptoms of Hepatitis C? When hepatitis C symptoms are present, they may include: * Jaundice (a condition causing yellow eyes and skin, as well as dark urine) * Abdominal pain * Loss of appetite * Nausea * Fatigue How Is Hepatitis...
Words: 571 - Pages: 3
...Hepatitis C Non-A hepatitis; Non-B hepatitis Hepatitis C is a viral disease that leads to swelling (inflammation) of the liver. Causes, incidence, and risk factors Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). People who may be at risk for hepatitis C are those who: * Have been on long-term kidney dialysis * Have regular contact with blood at work (for instance, as a health care worker) * Have unprotected sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis C (this risk is much less common than hepatitis B, but the risk is higher for those who have many sex partners, already have a sexually transmitted disease, or are infected with HIV) * Inject street drugs or share a needle with someone who has hepatitis C * Received a blood transfusion before July 1992 * Received a tattoo or acupuncture with contaminated instruments (the risk is very low with licensed, commercial tattoo facilities) * Received blood, blood products, or solid organs from a donor who has hepatitis C * Share personal items such as toothbrushes and razors with someone who has hepatitis C (less common) * Were born to a hepatitis C-infected mother (this occurs in about 1 out of 20 babies born to mothers with HCV, which is much less common than with hepatitis B) Symptoms Most people who were recently infected with hepatitis C do not have symptoms. About 1 in 10 have yellowing of the skin (jaundice) that gets better. Of people who get infected with hepatitis C...
Words: 983 - Pages: 4
...Hepatitis c is a blood born virus that affects the liver. The disease was discovered in 1989. The virus infects others when an infected person comes in contact with an infected person. There are several ways a person can be infected by hepatitis, sharing needles, blood transfusion, piercing, tattoos, from mother to infant, and intercourse. Hepatitis is a single stranded RNA virus that is enveloped virus.” Binding to the cell surface, HCV particles enter the cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis.” That is how the virus enters and invades, there is no known fact on where the virus originated. “There are at least six major HCV genotypes and more than 50 subtypes of HCV.” The book describes how the genotypes are categorized by different locations....
Words: 745 - Pages: 3
...Epidemiology: Hepatitis C in the Veteran Population NUR / 408 July 7, 2014 Deborah Nallo Introduction Hepatitis C (HCV) is highly prevalent within the Veteran population. HCV is a major public health concern because of the debilitating effects associated with the virus. HCV results in increased mortality and morbidity rates resulting from the acute and chronic effects of the virus. The most common transmission of HCV occurs through injection drug use, injuries resulting from needle sticks and the lack of infection control in healthcare facilities. The transmission of HCV can also occur through sexual contact between individuals who have the human immunodeficiency virus, and HCV virus, tattoos that were not professionally done and HCV infected mothers who have transmitted the virus to their newborn babies. The hepatitis C virus is the most common blood-borne virus in the United States. An estimated 3.2 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C. Most are unaware of their infection. Each year, about 17,000 Americans become infected with hepatitis C ("Centers for Disease Control and Prevention", n.d.). The veteran population has a higher rate of HCV exposure and infection when compared to the general population. Many of the individuals who are infected with the HCV virus are unaware of their infection and therefore they do not receive the necessary treatment. Individuals with HCV are at increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinomas and other...
Words: 2180 - Pages: 9
...One of the deadly disease that often attacks the liver is hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a liver disease that strikes silently. So when you suffer from this disease, it is possible that you are not aware of it and certainly it can make health got worse. The disease is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatitis C virus is largely going to be chronic. If not treated, it can turn into a lifetime of heart disease. Transmission of hepatitis C virus similar to the hepatitis B virus, i.e. through the blood (blood transfusion, needles, tattoos, and labor). However, borrowing items such as razors or toothbrushes are more rarely transmit the virus hepatitis C. Hepatitis C can now more quickly cured with the latest drugs and affordable price. Most Hepatitis C treatment is a combination of several different types of medications such as:...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...Hepatitis C What is hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is a virus that can cause chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The virus is usually transmitted through blood or sexual contact. Some patients acquire the virus and develop acute hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). In a subset of patients, the initial infection fails to clear and individuals advance to chronic hepatitis C infection. Chronic hepatitis C significantly increases the risk of progressive liver fibrosis (cirrhosis) and failure if left untreated. The risk of liver cancer is also increased. Patients with HCV of frequently co-infected with HIV – treatment of both frequently leads to better outcomes. The long-term consequences of chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis include...
Words: 1298 - Pages: 6
...INTRODUCTION Hepatitis implies aggravation of the liver. Poisons, certain medications, a few maladies, substantial liquor use and bacterial and viral diseases can all reason hepatitis. HCV is a small positive-strand ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus in the Flaviviridae family (1). Hepatitis is additionally the name of a group of viral diseases that influence the liver the most well known sorts are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is an infectious liver sickness that ranges in seriousness from a gentle ailment enduring a couple of weeks to a genuine, long lasting disease that assaults the liver. It comes about because of contamination with the Hepatitis C infection which is spread fundamentally through contact with the blood of a contaminated individual. Hepatitis C can be either "acute" or "chronic." In 1987, hepatitis C virus (HCV) was discovered to be the causative agent of a type of hepatitis previously known as non-A, non-B hepatitis (2). Hepatitis C infection is a real reason for liver ailment overall and a...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...Hepatitis C virus is responsible for over 12000 deaths per year in the United States. Hepatitis C virus is the most common reason why someone would need a liver transplant. This virus attacks the liver and can cause future issues such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. This virus is a concern because most people are unknowingly spreading it because they are often asymptomatic. According to Josiah Rich and Lynn Taylor, over 4 million people in the United States and 180 million people worldwide less than 3% are chronically affected. Hepatitis C is commonly spread through sharing of needles. The risk of transmission occurs is more likely if the person has a pre-existing virus such as HIV. According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) in 2013, a total of 2,138 cases of acute...
Words: 708 - Pages: 3
...Hepatitis C Liver is one of the biggest and important organs in the human body. It is responsible for producing many vital and beneficial chemical substances in the body such as proteins, vitamin D, and cholesterol.1 It is also considered as a storage organ and has an essential part in the digesting process. Hepatitis is a common disease that affects liver by viral infections. Universally, almost 130 to 150 million people have chronic hepatitis C and about 500,000 people who are infected with HCV die every year because of its related liver diseases.2 The ability of understanding hepatitis C and comprehend its effects depends on defining hepatitis C, recognizing the symptoms, and finding the treatment. Defining hepatitis C might be a bit complicated because of its name origins. Hepatitis is a combination of Greek and Latin words that mean inflammation of the liver which means that the liver becomes turgid and can’t work properly. Hepatitis C is one type of hepatitis that is considered to be the most dangerous type since it can lead to liver cancer, and in 75% to 85% of HCV infected people that can evolve a chronic hepatitis C.3 Even though that researches are being developed, but there is no absolute vaccine for Hepatitis C. To conclude, Hepatitis C is a viral infection that affect the liver and stop it from...
Words: 505 - Pages: 3
...Life Saving Medication Hepatitis C is a major global health threat that is curable; however, medication for millions around the world is difficult because of cost. The lack of testing and treatment is another major problem throughout the world. Engaging communities affected by the disease and giving them voice can improve access. Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the contamination of a person with the Hepatitis C Virus, known as HCV. Hep C is considered to be the most serious, and life threatening form of Hepatitis. In some cases Hep C can evolve rapidly and cause irreversible damage to the human liver. There are 130–150 million people living with Hep C globally and approximately 3.2 million...
Words: 1639 - Pages: 7
...Gosport journal, Vol. 80, No. 7, Curing Hepatitis C: Not just a dream anymore, By Lt. Cmdr. Brent Lacey, Naval Hospital Pensacola. Addressing this non-symptom illness as one of the principal causes to chronic disease, risking people born between 1945 and 1965. For many years in the U.S. has been affected with the diagnosis of chronic Hepatitis C, people had no way to screen for the cure. This virus is easy to spread and hard to treat. However, many of the treatments available made people feel more sick, and made them have flu, with no other symptom this illness took several lives away. Right now, depending on the genotype of the virus people can achieve a cure. The Naval Hospital Pensacola has developed the first hospital screening program...
Words: 261 - Pages: 2
...Hepatitis C (HCV) is a bloodborne virus that currently affects between 130 and 150 million people worldwide 1. Like other bloodborne infections, HCV is largely spread by needle sharing and organ/blood transplants where HCV screening is not commonly practiced. In addition, HCV transmission can also occur via unprotected sex as well as mother-to-child transmission (although it is much less common to be spread this way). While the majority of patients with acute infections show no symptoms, those who develop chronic HCV will commonly suffer fatigue, joint pain, and emotional depression and more serious, life-threatening symptoms could develop in a range of organ systems as infection persists 2. The only treatment option currently available for...
Words: 1285 - Pages: 6
...effective have harm reduction interventions been in reduction of Hepatitis C incidence among Injecting Drug Users in the UK? 1.0 Introduction The prevalence of Hepatitis C (HCV) internationally is largely unknown mainly due to the fact that most individuals have no symptoms in the early stages of the infection. The WHO estimates the figure at 170 million people infected with HCV and it is estimated that approximately 3-4 million people are newly infected each year . Injecting drug users (IDUs) are at greatest risk from HCV through the sharing of injecting paraphernalia. In the UK estimates from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) data has the number of people chronically infected with HCV at 216000 of which 90% are attributable to IDUs with over 40% of the IDU population being HCV antibody positive . Some estimates of numbers with HCV in the UK suggest about 500000 . In 2010, new HCV infections diagnosed in the UK was 10,381 of which there were 7384, 106, 2129, and 312 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively . There appears to be higher rate of transmission among IDU now than a decade ago; 23% compared to 12% in 2000 Although UK is classified as a low prevalence country for HCV; The HCV poses numerous challenges for public health in terms of potentially preventable mortality and morbidity. According to NICE guidance, it would cost the NHS about £1.6 billion to treat all Hepatitis C patients. The cost therefore of failing to diagnose and treat...
Words: 4151 - Pages: 17
...Since the hepatitis C virus is discovered recently relative to other viruses, there are still unknown and undetailed information to examine and explore. Thus, research related to HCV infection is still ongoing. However, there are some limitations that prevent more information from being discovered regarding the infection. There is a lack of availability of appropriate models that are used for HCV research. The experimental animals such as chimpanzees, Tupaiabelangeri, and tree shrews are susceptible to HCV infection.23 As a result, the data is difficult to interpret because of genetic variability and varying outcomes. Moreover, there are restrictions for continuous research due to the expensive cost of acquiring and maintaining animals, and chimpanzees not being accurate representatives of human beings for laboratory testing. Hence, these reasons...
Words: 562 - Pages: 3
