I need to know about Hep C?

Question

I need to know the side effects, and what it does to you body. Do people with Hep C normally die from it. What treatments are there, if any. And can you really transmit this through sexual contact, because I heard that it can only be transmitted through blood to blood contact? I really really need to know!

Answer 1

Hi there.

I might be of help. my father has been diagnosted with hepatisis C a couple of years ago. he got it by receiving blood transfusions in the 80's. since this hepatisis is chronic, your liver gets degraded over time. so you dont notice it from day to day, but over a long time.

for a treatment my dad took one with 'interferon shoots'. he had to took a sabatical year while on the treatment. he had to give a shot in his lap once every 3 days. the first day, he felt really bad and was grumpy (well more than usual) and very tired. on the other days, he felt better. he lost a lot of weigth during this treatment and had to get blood tested once every 3 months i think. after the treatment was completed, his hepatologist said there is 'no noticable traces of the virus in his blood'. but he still has to keep being check 2 times a year, to see if it comes back or not. Ive heard this treatment is very expensive but my dad had insurances so...

As for sexual contact, my mom never had hepatisis C. in fact, she used to give blood very often. but when my dad was told that he had the disease, they told my mom not to give blood again, and followed that information to héma-québec (transfusionnal medecine organism). yet, at times, my mom had calls saying 'Ms .... we are organizing a blood collect in your area and we really need O positive blood, would you like to come?' unfortunatly, she had to say no, but she really enjoy giving blood.

well hope this helps, contact me if you want to know more.

Answer 2

Well someone gave you quite a lengthy answer LOL In addition to what she got for you hon with Hep C also comes night sweats (AKA sleep sweats) You CAN catch it from sharing a toothbrush , razor and needles but NOT through sex although an unborn child runs the risk of catching the Hep through the sperm.

I know this because my Hubby just had a liver transplant from having Hep C since he was in the service (very common from that generation) and yes they can go a very long time without knowing. We had no clue till he swelled up like Santa Clause overnight. Also a common trait from a Hep C carrier. There is a pill/injection you can take called Copeg. You take the pill once a day and the shot either 1, 2, 3, X's a month or weekly depending on how bad the Hep is. This is definitely something to take VERY seriously, if you or someone you know THINKS they have it PLEASE be tested PROMPTLY!!!! At best you'll take the Copeg for up to a year (which also has some very NASTY side effects as the injection is actually a Chemo treatment, and at worst A liver Transplant , which I can tell you first hand is not a walk in the park or even a brisk run for that matter) Untreated it most always leads to a very painful death if left untreated. The sooner the better chance of the Copeg treatment. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 3

blood and liver function assessments are what are used to aim for Hep C. in all danger, in case you're no longer feeling overly fatigued on a familiar foundation or have had subjects with jaundice or different indications that your liver is in jeopardy, you may desire to nicely are transforming into fortunate. however the blood assessments on no account injury to have just to establish of the place you stand. In right this moment's international of medicine, even a great Hep C analysis isn't a loss of life sentence anymore. So pass get checked!

Answer 4

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. In time, it can lead to permanent liver damage as well as cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.

Many people do not know that they have hepatitis C until they already have some liver damage. This can take many years. Some people who get hepatitis C have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute hepatitis C. But most people who are infected with the virus go on to develop long-term, or chronic, hepatitis C.

Although hepatitis C can be very serious, many people can manage the disease and lead active, full lives.

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus. It is spread from one person's infected blood to another person's blood.

You can get hepatitis C if:

You share needles and other equipment used to inject illegal drugs. This is the most common way to get hepatitis C in the United States.
You had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992. As of 1992 in the United States, all donated blood and organs are screened for hepatitis C.
You get a shot with a needle that has infected blood on it. This happens in some developing countries where they use needles more than once when giving shots.
In rare cases, a mother with hepatitis C spreads the virus to her baby at birth, or a health care worker is accidentally exposed to blood that is infected with hepatitis C.

Experts are not sure if you can get hepatitis C through sexual contact. If there is a risk of getting the virus through sexual contact, it is very small.

You cannot get hepatitis C from casual contact such as hugging, kissing, sneezing, coughing, or sharing food or drink.

Many people have no symptoms when they are first infected with the hepatitis C virus. If you do develop symptoms, they may include:

Feeling very tired.
Joint pain.
Belly pain.
Itchy skin.
Sore muscles.
Dark urine.
Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Jaundice usually appears only after other symptoms have started to go away.
Most people go on to develop chronic hepatitis C but still do not have symptoms. This makes it common for people to have hepatitis C for 15 years or longer before it is diagnosed.

Being diagnosed with hepatitis C can change your life. You may feel angry or depressed about having to live with a long-term (chronic), serious disease. You may have a hard time knowing how to tell other people that you have the virus. It can be helpful to talk with a social worker or counselor about what having the disease means to you. You also may want to find a support group for people with hepatitis C; there are several on the Internet if you do not have one in your area.

You may or may not receive treatment for hepatitis C, depending on how damaged your liver is, other health conditions you have, how much virus you have in your body, and what type of hepatitis C you have. Treatment is not always an option because the medicines used to treat hepatitis C have significant side effects, are expensive, and do not work for everyone.

Initial treatment
The goal of treatment for hepatitis C is to eliminate the virus from your body early to prevent more serious liver problems. Initial treatment of hepatitis C depends on whether you have a short-term (acute) infection or a long-term (chronic) infection.

Treatment of short-term (acute) hepatitis: Most people with acute hepatitis C do not have treatment because they do not know they have the virus. It is common for people to live with hepatitis C for years without knowing they have it simply because they do not have symptoms. By the time hepatitis C is diagnosed in most people, they already have long-term, chronic infection.

If a person knows that he or she may have been exposed to the virus—such as a health care worker who is stuck by a needle—acute hepatitis C can be identified early. In these cases, treatment for acute hepatitis C may help prevent long-term infection, although there is still some debate over when to begin treatment and how long to treat acute hepatitis C.2

Treatment of long-term (chronic) hepatitis: If your blood tests and liver biopsy show that you have chronic infection but no damage to your liver, you may not need treatment. If you do have some liver damage, you may be treated with a combination of medicines that fight the viral infection.

Antiviral medicines for hepatitis C may not be recommended if you:

Drink alcohol or use IV drugs. (Although you cannot take antiviral medications if you use IV drugs, you can take antiviral medications if you are using methadone.)
Have advanced cirrhosis.
Have severe depression or other psychiatric problems.
Are pregnant or might become pregnant. Two forms of contraception must be used during treatment and for 6 months after treatment because the medicines used to treat hepatitis C are toxic to an unborn baby (fetus).
Have an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriasis, or certain medical problems such as advanced diabetes, heart disease, or seizures.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has made recommendations on who should receive antiviral treatment for hepatitis C.3 For example, treatment is recommended for people who are 18 or older who have detectable levels of the virus in their blood and who have significant liver damage confirmed with a liver biopsy.

There have only been a few clinical trials of antiviral medicines in children; limited evidence suggests that they work about as well in children as in adults. Combination therapy using interferon and ribavirin is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in children ages 3 to 17 years.

Antiviral medicines to treat hepatitis C include:

Peginterferon and other interferons, which are similar to a protein your body makes to fight off infection.
Combination antiviral therapy with interferons and ribavirin, which increases your chances of getting rid of the virus in your body.
Peginterferon—a newer, longer-acting form of interferon—combined with ribavirin is now considered better than standard interferon combined with ribavirin. Peginterferon is given as a weekly shot, and ribavirin is taken as a pill 2 times a day.

The length of your treatment depends on what hepatitis C genotype you have. Genotype 1 generally is treated for 1 year and genotypes 2 and 3 generally are treated for 6 months. If your liver does not show signs of improvement after 3 months of treatment, your treatment may be stopped.

Even if medicines are recommended for you, they may not work or they may not work long-term. Chronic hepatitis C infection is cured or controlled in about half of people who are treated with a combination of peginterferon and ribavirin.4 Studies have shown that treatment works for up to 50% of people with genotype 1 and up to 80% of people with genotype 2 or 3.5

Sometimes, treatment does not permanently lower the amount of virus in your blood. However, some studies have shown that treatment may still reduce scarring in your liver, which can lower your chances of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer.3, 2

Medicines for hepatitis C are expensive and have serious side effects, such as constant fatigue, headaches, fever, nausea, depression, thyroid problems, and many other side effects.