Information About Hepatitis C

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a blood borne infection caused by a hepatotrophic virus called Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Hepatitis C is a liver disease. Hepatitis * means inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is the painful, red swelling that results when tissues of the body become injured or infected. Inflammation can cause organs to not work properly.

This infection is the worst type of hepatitis that one can have and it causes liver inflammation.

Hepatitis C is mainly spread through blood contaminated with the hepatitis virus, thus infection can be got through the sharing of needles or contact with sharp objects that have recently drawn blood from an infected Hepatitis C sufferer.

Transfusion of unscreened blood is another means of getting the infection. It can also be transmitted from mother to child during the process of delivery.

One scary thing about the disease is that most people with the virus exhibit no symptoms. This happens in about 2/3 of Hepatitis C patients.

Some may show symptoms as decreased appetite, fatigue, abdominal pains, jaundice e.t.c

The virus is detected in the blood 1-3 weeks of infection.

The disease can be treated with antiviral drugs, but is more difficult treating alcoholic patients that have the disorder.

Anyone can get Hepatitis C, but some people are at higher risk, including:

• People who were born to a mother with Hepatitis C

• People who have had more than one sex partner in the last 6 months or have a history of sexually transmitted disease

• People who had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992

• People with hemophilia who received blood products before 1987

• People who have used illegal injection drugs