Hepatitis C is a disease associate with liver infection if it did not treat well it can lead to severe liver damage.
Viruses of hepatitis can cause this problem. There are more than four million people in the United State of America are affected by the disease and its counties spreading in the US and other parts of the world.
It has very rare signs so most people did not understand that they have hepatitis. It spread through body fluids and blood of infected person to the other people.
Table of Contents
Types of Hepatitis C
There are many types of Hepatitis C in the world. It is also named HCV. type 1 is the most common in the United State of America. All types are almost the same and not much serious than others. The only difference is they respond to the treatment differently.
Stages of Hepatitis C
The virus of hepatitis affects different people in different ways it has different stages according to its attack. Such as
Incubation Period
This period is from first exposure to the virus to the start of the hepatitis C disease. it can be different in different people. It can be between fourteen to eighty days. An average incubation period is forty-five days.
Acute Hepatitis C
This illness persists for six months after the first bout of the virus it is a short-term illness. Most people get recovered from it and get rid of the virus naturally. And become clear from the virus.
Chronic Hepatitis C
This stage is a little bit severe. It lasts more than six months. Most people who are attacked by this virus move to this stage. The percentage could be eighty-five percent. This stage is called chronic hepatitis C. This stage ends with liver cancer or cirrhosis which is a serious health issue.
Cirrhosis
In this condition, the liver gets inflamed, and with the passage of time. This inflammation leads to liver cancer. In this disease, healthy liver cells replace with scar tissue. It is a long term procedure that takes fifteen to thirty years to happen. The process can be faster if the infected person consumes too much alcohol or have HIV.
Liver Cancer the Last Stage
Cirrhosis leads to liver cancer. You should go for regular tests and checkups to the doctor to catch up with cancer in the early stages.
What are The Most Common Symptoms of Hepatitis C
Ninety percent of the people who get infected with the virus did not have any early symptoms of hepatitis. When you get affected by the virus you can feel
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored bowel
- Continues fever
- jaundice
- Yellow skin and eyes
- Less appetite
- Joint pain
- Nausea
- vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Stretches in stomach
Some of these symptoms last for a few days while others last for more than six months.
What are the Reasons for Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C spreads through blood and body fluids. When virus-contaminated blood or body fluids come in contact with a healthy person. The virus enters the body and goes into the bloodstream, it also happens if you stay in contact with an infected person continuously.
The other ways and chances of getting exposed to the virus from
- Having sex with an infected person
- STDs
- Sex with an HIV person
- Rough sex
- Shared injections
- By birth, from mother to child it can pass easily
- Having several sexual partners.
- Stuck by a needle that had infected with the virus
- During making a tattoo with unclean equipment
- Piercing with unclean equipment.
- Sharing toothbrushes
- Sharing razors
- Nail clippers sharing
- Sharing personal care items
The other way that can cause hepatitis C are
- Coughing
- Causal contact
- Breastfeeding with cracked and bled nipples
- Hugging
- Kissing
- Sharing eating
- Holding hands
- Sneezing
- Mosquito bites
- Hugging
- Sharing utensil
What is Advanced Hepatitis C Symptoms
The symptoms of Advanced Hepatitis could be
- Ascites mean fluid buildup in the cavity of the abdomen or fluid buildup in the legs which called edema.
- Encephalopathy in wich your brain did not work well
- Gallstones
- Kidney failure
- Itching intensely
- Spider-like veins grow up on the skin
- Muscle loss
- Problems with concentration
- Problems with your memory
- Muscle loss
- Vomiting too much
- Vomiting blood
- Bleeding in the esophagus or esophageal variance
- Type 2 diabetes
- Fast weight loss
What are the Risk factors for Hepatitis C
You should get tested for the hepatitis C if you
- If you ever use drugs through injections
- You get blood from a hepatitic C effected blood doner
- If you had an Organ transplanting or blood exchange before 1992 July.
- Used a blood product before 1987 for clotting problems treatment
- If you were born from 1945 to 1968 because this age group has the highest rate of hepatitis C infection
- If you have HIV
- Your mother had hepatitis when you were born
- Have a long term kidney disease and kidney dialysis
- Have liver problems or liver disease symptoms
- Were in the prison for a long time
- Got piercing or tattoo by unclean equipment
Sing 1992 any blood or organ donation is tested for the virus of hepatitis. So it is a rare case if anyone gets affected by the hepatitis C virus through blood products in the United State of America. according to the CDC
How to Test and Diagnose the Hepatitis C
The tests for hepatitis C contains the following thing get tested by the doctor
Anti-HCV antibodies
Your body produces proteins when any outer virus or bacteria enters the blood. In the same way, your body produces proteins when it found hepatitis C viruses in your blood stream. They show up normally after three months of the first infection.
The test takes from few days to some weeks to get results some labs provide tests on a rapid basis. The result could be
- Negative or nonreactive
It means you do not have hepatitis C
I fit has taken more than six months of your exposure to the virus you should get tested again
- Positive or reactive
It shows that you have hepatitis C antibodies
You are infected with the virus and need some more tests to confirm that you have hepatitis C.
Acute Hepatitis Tests
If the results of the test come positive or show reactive for antibodies. You should get these tests
HCV RNA
This test is used to measure the RNA of the virus which is the genetic material of the virus that causes hepatitis C. the RNA show up after two to three weeks of virus exposure or getting infected with the virus.
The results can be:
Positive means you have hepatitis C
Negative means you do not have any hepatitis C viral infection.
Liver function tests for Hepatitis C Infection
In this test, they measure the number of proteins in the bloodstream and other enzyme levels produced by the liver which get affected and changed. The could be a rise in six to nine weeks after getting an infection of hepatitis C.
When your liver becomes spoiled by the hepatitis C virus. The liver can not control the enzyme and they leak into the blood and cause increasing their level and disturbing body function. But sometimes you can have a normal enzyme level during the hepatitis C disease.
