Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a rival of AIDS?
     What is hepatitis C?
     What causes hepatitis C?
     What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?
     What is chronic hepatitis C?
     What is the prognosis for chronic
     hepatitis C?
     Who is particularly susceptible to infection
     with hepatitis C?
     How do you get hepatitis C?

How can you avoid hepatitis C?
     How is hepatitis C diagnosed?
     How is hepatitis C treated?
     How effective is the treatment
     for hepatitis C?
     What is the cost of treatment for hepatitis C?
     What are the side effects of antiviral
     treatment?
     Are there alternative treatments
     for hepatitis C?

What do we know about hepatitis C? Well, if "we" - that are those who have not met with him on their own experience, that, by and large, nothing. So for me, for example, the WHO statement that hepatitis C in a few years may become a more serious problem than AIDS, was not exactly a sensation, but a reason to be interested.

At least for the reason that the WHO does not do anything just randomly: it's enough to remember a series of different types of flu epidemics, after which many experts began to call WHO subsidiary of pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines.

Probably, there is a large proportion of interest from the WHO also in fomenting hype around hepatitis C. At least for the reason that, it turns out, the right to manufacture products for the treatment of hepatitis belongs to only two pharmaceutical companies. Due to this, the cost of treatment of hepatitis C is 20-30 thousand dollars. Not weak?

Given that, according to Dr. Matthias Rath, yet in 1963 WHO has become an instrument of the global pharmaceutical cartel, other evidence of clearly exaggerated prediction is not required. Ears of pharmacological mafia can be seen clearly here.

However, something I'm quite skeptical about the forecast of the WHO, does not mean the same attitude to the hepatitis. This disease is really serious, and indeed, official statistics show that in recent years the incidence is increasing. While the same can be said also about many other dangerous diseases. Considering that the average life expectancy in many countries also has increased significantly, it remains to note that the population of the Earth gradually turns into a long-lived chronics ...

According to the data of the same WHO, about 140 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis C. According to other data, there are about 500 million carriers of hepatitis C virus in the world. Goblin knows who is right, one thing is clear - the problem as such exists, and it is not simple. In the US, the number of infected people exceeds 38 million, and for the past six months this figure increased by 1.5 times.

I want to summarize here the basic information about hepatitis C, which everyone should know. In the end, if you have the extra $ 20 000, it is better to spend it on your children than on treatment, which could have been avoided, and which is not always successful.

So what we need to know about hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a viral disease that primarily attacks the kidney, thyroid or pancreas, and then goes to the liver, causing cirrhosis or cancer. The complexity of the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C is that to a certain point (even 10 and 20 years), it may be asymptomatic or have nonspecific symptoms similar to other chronic infections (fatigue, weakness, fatigue). Because of this ability to masked as many other diseases, hepatitis C is often called "the tender murderer".

Hepatitis C gradually destroys the liver, leading, for example, to cirrhosis. Therefore, if the treatment does not start promptly, even if hepatitis virus will be completely destroyed, the liver disease will remain.

People more often become ill with hepatitis C at a young age (20 to 40 years). Gradually, however, the "age" of the disease is increasing. People in all countries suffer from hepatitis C, but to varying degrees.

Hepatitis C is caused by a virus (HCV) with a particle size of 30-60 nm (nanometers, that is, millionths of a millimeter). Virus particles contained in the blood and are associated with low density lipoproteins (LDL).

The main feature of hepatitis C is its ability to genetic changes (mutations) that does not allow the immune system to effectively produce ecessary antibodies - although HCV virus has six main genotypes, its mutation may give rise to about four dozen different subtypes of the virus. For the same reason, until now there is no vaccine against hepatitis C.

You can get infected by HCV from a patient person with active hepatitis C or from carrier of the virus. Infection occurs only through blood.

Unlike hepatitis B (Botkin's disease), in hepatitis C, most people do not feel any symptoms until the virus does not cause liver damage that can happen after 10 years or more. Some people may have one or more of the following symptoms:

• general weakness;
• feeling tired;
• a longer than usual time to stop bleeding;
• upset stomach;
• fever;
• loss of appetite;
• diarrhea;
• light-colored stools;
• dark yellow urine.

Hepatitis C becomes chronic when the body can not get rid of the hepatitis C virus. Some people may have had hepatitis C and recover within a few months. In other cases, a person becomes a carrier of the virus - the virus multiplies in his blood, but it does not cause much harm to the body.

But in most cases of infection, hepatitis C becomes chronic. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure.

Symptoms of cirrhosis include:

• yellowish tinge of the skin and whites of the eyes (yellowness);
• increase in the size of the abdomen (ascites);
• swelling of the ankles;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• loss of appetite;
• weight loss;
• the appearance of spider veins on the skin.

According to statistics, 70 out of 100 people who were infected with hepatitis C as a result fall ill with chronic liver disease.

In patients with chronic hepatitis C, the risk of developing liver cirrhosis within 20 years reaches 20%; the risk of developing primary liver cancer - 5%.

In older people, the chance of developing chronic hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis is higher than in the young.

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

1. The group of greatest risk

    - those who make themselves injection of drugs;
    - hemophiliacs who received injections with clotting factors before 1987.

2. The group of intermediate risk

    - those who are on hemodialysis (connecting to the "artificial kidney");
    - those who have received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992;
    - people having unidentified liver disease;
    - children of mothers infected with hepatitis C.

3. The group of slightly increased risk

    - health workers;
    - those who have had more than one sexual partner in the last 6 months or transferred sexually transmitted diseases;
    - those who have had sex with an infected partner.

You can get hepatitis C through contact with blood of an infected person. You could get hepatitis C virus in the case of:

• getting an accidental stick with a needle that was used for an infected person;
• sharing needles with an infected person;
• if in the process of tattoos or piercings, dental surgery unsterilized instruments were used;
• using razor of infected person, his nail accessories or toothbrush;
• be traumatized when working with infected blood;
• born from mother with hepatitis C;
• sex with an infected person.

The most common infection occurs through unsterile medical, dental and beauty instruments.

Under ordinary household contacts, hepatitis C virus is not transmitted. You can not get hepatitis C if:

• shaking hands with an infected person;
• hugging an infected person;
• finding near an infected person;
• conversation with an infected person (even if he splashes saliva on you);
• use common utensils, food or drinks.

Infection can be transmitted in a domestic environment, but only when the penetration of particles of infected blood in the blood of the victim (in the case of trauma, cuts, when scrapes, abrasions, erosion and etc.).

If you are not at risk, your chances to get hepatitis C are minor, if you follow some simple rules.

1. Follow the rules of hygiene, never use toiletries of another person, where there may be particles of his blood.

2. Use a condom during sex.

3. In all cases of medical procedures (vaccinations, blood sampling, visit to the dentist) make sure that in potentially hazardous manipulations, disposable instru-ments are only used.

4. Before getting a tattoo or piercing, think, do you really need it, and see where and to whom you go.

5. To carry out invasive cosmetic procedures, contact only a licensed clinic.

Hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood tests, which can also show if you have chronic hepatitis C or another type of hepatitis. Your doctor may suggest getting a liver biopsy if chronic hepatitis C is suspected. The most common type of analysis is checking of the presence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in the blood.

However, this analysis can install only the fact of infection, but not the presence of the disease. Furthermore, its accuracy is not high, since in some cases it can yield false-positive and false-negative results. Therefore, for confirmation also test of virus RNA is required.

If chronic hepatitis C is suspected. your doctor may suggest getting a liver biopsy (microscopic examination of the particles of the liver, extracted with a needle).

Hepatitis C is not treated unless it becomes chronic. In this case, medical supervision is necessary, because the risk remains of the disease activation and the development of dangerous outcomes. Chronic hepatitis C is treated with drugs that slow or stop the virus from damaging the liver.

Chronic hepatitis C is treated with drugs that can slow or stop viral liver damage. The most commonly used are combinations of pegylated interferons with ribavirin, which act on the virus of hepatitis C. Duration of treatment - from 24 to 48 weeks.

In contrast to many other infections, in chronic hepatitis C, there is no uniform standard of care; planning of the cource is performed individually, taking the genotype of the virus, liver condition and its changes during treatment, and the viral load.

If in the chronic hepatitis C, liver failure develops, liver transplantation may be required. In this case, medical treatment should continue as usual after surgery, hepatitis C is returned.

Chances to be cured in chronic hepatitis C are greater than in chronic hepatitis B. In reality, the likelihood of recovery after a course of treatment for hepatitis C is 50-80%, depending on the individual characteristics of the disease and the patient.

However, not every doctor has the appropriate training and, more importantly, clinical experience in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Therefore, treatment should be carried out by proficient hepatologist.

The cost of modern medicines needed to treat, can be from 550 to 2,500 dollars a month. In the duration of the treatment of 12 months, it will be, respectively, 6,600-30,000 dollars for the entire course. Basically, the cost of treatment is determined by the cost of interferon drugs.

Ribavirin is usually well tolerated, but interferons have a side effect of influenza-like state at the beginning of the course (2-3 days). Throughout the treatment with interferon, weakness and fatigue are observed; changes in the blood composition are possible (decrease in the number of white blood cells and platelets). Therefore, the entire course should be done under medical supervision.

In more rare cases, hair loss, dry skin, weight loss, thyroid dysfunctions are also observed.

Currently, experts are developing combinations for the treatment of hepatitis C without interferon, however, it believed that the first such combinations do not become available sooner than after 5 years. Whether these drugs cheaper, sources are silent.

To date there is no evidence of successful treatment of hepatitis C, by means of alternative medicine. However, studies have shown that following natural materials can be useful in the treatment:

1. Milk thistle

Thistle does not directly affect on the virus of hepatitis C. However, it can help to reduce inflammation associated with hepatitis C, stimulates the growth of liver cells and protects them from damage. The active ingredient of the extract of milk thistle is silymarin.

2. Blueberries

According to reports from many sources, berries and leaves of blueberry, due to the content of phenolic compound proanthocyanidin may protect against liver fibrosis, since they increase the activity of glutathione transferase in hepatocytes. Unfortunately, currently reliable data obtained in the rats only.

Hepatoprotectors (milk thistle, blueberries, Essentiale, lipoic acid) are the drugs to support liver function, which, according to the decision of the attending physician, can be used in treatment of hepatitis C.

3. Glycyrrhizin

Preliminary studies suggest that glycyrrhizin (compound found in licorice root) may prevent, with a long reception, development of liver cancer in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

4. Immunohelpers

Immunohelpers (means to support the immune system) help improve the efficiency of the immune response, enabling the body to more effectively fight the infection. In contrast to immunostimulants and immunomodulators, immunohelpers may also be used for the prevention of disease.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the USA, some herbal products can lead to liver damage. For example, there were cases of serious liver injury when using extracts of kava and comfrey. Therefore, the use of any type of alternative medicine in the treatment of hepatitis C should be agreed with your doctor.

This article is for informational purposes only; It does not replace a visit to a doctor or professional advice.

This article is copyrighted by Alexander Yezovit. It cannot be reprinted without permission from Alexander Yezovit.

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