What is Hepatitus C and is there a cure for it?

Question

somebody told me my friend had it and i'm not for sure what it is. an you help me?

Answer 1

What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a liver disease.

Hepatitis (HEP-ah-TY-tis) makes your liver swell and stops it
from working right.

You need a healthy liver. The liver does many things to keep you alive. The liver fights infections and stops bleeding. It
removes drugs and other poisons from your blood. The liver also stores energy for when you need it.


What causes hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is caused by a virus.
A virus is a germ that causes sickness. (For example, the flu is caused by a virus.) People can pass viruses to each other. The virus that causes hepatitis C is called the hepatitis C virus.


How could I get hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is spread by contact with an infected person's blood.

You could get hepatitis C by

sharing drug needles.

getting pricked with a needle that has infected blood on it (hospital workers can get hepatitis C this way)

having sex with an infected person, especially if you or your partner has other sexually transmitted diseases

being born to a mother with hepatitis C

In rare cases, you could get hepatitis C by

getting a tattoo or body piercing with unsterilized, dirty tools


You can NOT get hepatitis C by

shaking hands with an infected person

hugging an infected person

kissing an infected person

sitting next to an infected person


How is hepatitis C treated?

Hepatitis C is treated through shots of medicine.


Hepatitis C is treated with a drug called peginterferon, usually in combination with the drug ribavirin.

You may need surgery if you have hepatitis C for many years. Over time, hepatitis C can cause your liver to stop working. If that happens, you will need a new liver. The surgery is called a liver transplant. It involves taking out the old, damaged liver and putting in a new, healthy one from a donor.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepc_ez/#1

Answer 2

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). You may be at risk for hepatitis C and should contact your medical care provider for a blood test if you:

were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C.
have ever injected illegal drugs, even if you experimented a few times many years ago
received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before July, 1992
were a recipient of clotting factor(s) made before 1987
have ever been on long-term kidney dialysis
have evidence of liver disease (e.g., persistently abnormal ALT levels)

unfortunately there is no cure but there are treatment option available to keep it in check

Answer 3

Hepatitis C is a disease that like HIV is spread by drug use (needles) , some tattoos and piercings (done with dirty needles or ink) and sometimes sexual activity (if partners have open sores) . It can also be passed from mother to child. Currently there is no cure, it attacks a person's liver and makes their body hold on to toxins longer. It is very dangerous for a person with hep c to drink alcohol, take tylenol and many other things. If your friend truly has it, he needs to be under the care of a physician to make sure he can lead a healthier life and live longer... it is considered a "fatal" disease.

Answer 4

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. There are 3 common types of hepatitis viruses - A, B, and C.

Hepatitis C is often a chronic infection, meaning it does not go away. Some people who have hepatitis C for many years can develop cirrhosis (liver damage and failure) or liver cancer.

Hepatitis C is spread by blood or by sexual contact. It is not curable, although some drugs (like interferon) may be able to help. There is no vaccine like there is for hepatitis B.

Answer 5

Treatment for chronic hepatitis C usually involves using a combination of two medicines:
pegylated interferon (given as an injection) – a synthetic version of a naturally occurring protein in the body that stimulates the immune system to attack virus cells
ribavirin (given as a capsule or tablet) – an antiviral drug that stops hepatitis C from spreading inside the body
This is known as combination therapy.

You can know more other ways to treat liver diseases, such as suitable diet, natural measures .you can refer to here to understand more:http://adola.net/go/fattyliver-bible/

Hope this useful!

Answer 6

Hep C is a disease that will attack the liver. Unfortunately, there is no cure. There are medical treatments to help control it though.

Answer 7

chemo is the cure