Does anyone know someone w/ Hep C that drinks regularly & if so, do u know the consequences?

Answer 1

Hep C (HCV) is not acquired from chronic alcoholism. It is a blood to blood transmitted virus. What happens when someone with HCV drinks alcohol regularly, is the alcohol helps the virus to replicate. It also accelerates the damage to the liver much quicker. The result is after a period of time (varies from individual to individual) the liver becomes so damaged that it begins to fail. When the liver fails, many things start to happen, like fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity and legs causing major discomfort when breathing and giving a "9 month pregnant" look. It has to be drained in the hospital, only to accumulate again. Also in end stage liver disease, the blood cannot go through the liver, so it backs up into the spleen, causing high blood pressure in the hepatic veins. When these veins & arteries burst from the pressure, the person vomits blood; lots of it. That's called esophageal varices. If the person gets to the hospital quickly, they may be able to tie it off (banding). Another symptom of end stage liver disease is mental confusion. The ammonia builds up in the bloodstream because the liver can't filter like it's supposed to. The person becomes very mentally confused because the ammonia in the blood affects the brain. The person will need to be on a laxative like medicine to pass the toxins through bowels movements.
Unfortunately, I have seen many people over the last 7 years that didn't want to quit drinking to deal with their HCV. Ultimately many of them have died due to liver failure. The thing they didn't realize is that: when your liver is failing, eventually they quit anyway, because they become too sick to drink, eat, go out, etc. At that point there is nothing else left that can be done. A transplant wouldn't be an option because a person has to be sober (as documented through AA meetings & such) before they'll be considered for a liver.
Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.

Answer 2

i worked for a company that manufactured the drug to maintain/manage the hep-c. that person should be on peg-intron, intron-a, and/or rebetol. another company made a drug called pegasys. all treated (but did not cure) hep-c. you should google either Schering-Plough, or Roche. Hope this helps

Answer 3

My ex husband has hepatitis c and is an alcoholic. I know alcoholics are more likely to develop chronic hepatitis c. I dont know why though.