What
Is Hepatitis C ?
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes inflammation of the liver. A national
survey found that 1.8 percent of Americans, about 3.9 million, have
been infected with HCV. About 2.7 million are chronically infected
and many show no signs or symptoms. Hepatitis C is a slow-progressing
disease that may take 10-40 years to cause serious liver damage in
some people.
Who Is At
Risk? Since about four million Americans are infected with HCV
and most don't know it, you should have a blood test for Hepatitis
C - whether you feel sick or not. About one in ten people infected
with HCV have had no identifiable exposure to the disease.
How Does
It Spread? Injection drug use is the primary risk factor for HCV
infection; it accounts for about 60 percent of all new cases of
Hepatitis C and is also a major risk factor for the Hepatitis B
virus. Among frequent drug users, 50-80 percent are infected within
the first 12 months of beginning injecting. Straws shared in snorting
drugs are also a potential source of infection.
HCV is not spread through kissing or casual contact. In relationships
where there is one steady partner, sexual transmission is low (under
five percent). Transmission is estimated to be about 15 percent among
those who have multiple sex partners or where there is a history
of sexually transmitted diseases.
The Hepatitis C virus is found mainly in blood; it may be transmitted
by using razors, needles, toothbrushes, nail files, a barber's scissors,
tattooing equipment, body piercing or acupuncture needles if these
items are contaminated by blood of an infected person. Healthcare
workers have a two percent risk of acquiring HCV after a needle stick
contaminated with HCV-positive blood.
Symptoms:
Most people who are infected with the HCV do not have symptoms
and are leading normal lives. If symptoms are present, they may
be very mild and flu-like: nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever,
headaches, and abdominal pain.
Diagnosis:
Test for HCV antibodies: HCV infection can be determined by a simple
and specific blood test that detects antibodies against HCV. The
current enzyme immunoassay test (EIA) that detects anti-HCV has
a sensitivity of about 95 percent in chronic HCV. HCV infection
may be identified by anti-HCV testing in approximately 80 percent
of people as early as five weeks after exposure. This test is not
a part of a routine physical examination, and people must ask their
doctor for a Hepatitis C antibody test.
Test liver enzyme levels: If you may already have chronic infection,
your doctor will test the levels of two liver enzymes: alanine aminotransferase
(ALT) and aspartate aminotrasferase (AST). Both are released when
liver cells are injured or die. Elevated ALT and AST levels may appear
and disappear throughout the course of the HCV infection. If the
liver enzyme levels are normal with chronic HCV, they should be re-checked
several times over a 6 - 12 month period. If the liver enzyme levels
remain normal, your doctor may check them less frequently, such as
once per year.
Treating
HCV: There are three types of interferon, plus a combination of
interferon and ribavirin, used to treat Hepatitis C. Blood tests
and liver biopsy findings may determine the need for treatment.
Interferon must be given by injection, and may have a number of
side effects, including flu-like symptoms: headaches, fever, fatigue,
loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and thinning of hair. Ribavirin,
given by mouth, can have additional side effects including depression,
severe anemia and especially birth defects. Ribavirin may also
interfere with the production of red blood cells and platelets
by depressing bone marrow. Patients should be monitored frequently.
Currently, almost half of all liver transplants in the U.S. are
performed for end-stage Hepatitis C. However, re-infection of the
transplanted liver by the virus usually occurs and may require a
second transplant.
The above information was found at the Hepatitis Foundation International
website at www.hepfi.org. For more information you can also contact
their toll-free number: (800) 891-0707.
Local Support Group: A local support group meets in the Twin Cities:
LiverHope Support Group can be reached at Voicemail: (763) 780-0108,
Helen Clark (952) 933-0932, helen@liverhope.com Or Pat Buchanan (763)
566-3839, pat@liverhope.com
LIVERHOPE
meetings are: 7:00 - 9:00 PM, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays unless otherwise
noted. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church Choir Room (street
level) or Youth Room (basement) 3920 North Victoria Street, Shoreview,
MN.
