All about Hep. C
What is Hepatitis C?
This infection of the liver is caused by the hepatitis C virus. About 3.5 million people in the U.S. have the disease. But it causes few symptoms, so most of them don’t know.There are many forms of the hepatitis C virus. The most common in the U.S. is type 1. None is more serious than any other, but they respond differently to treatment.
What Are the Symptoms?
Many people with Hepatitis have no symptoms. But you could notice these:
- Jaundice (a condition that causes yellow eyes and skin, as well as dark urine)
- Stomach pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Fatigue
How Do You Get It?
The virus spreads through the blood or body fluids of an infected person.
You can catch it from:
- Sharing drugs and needles
- Having sex, especially if you have an STD, an HIV infection, several partners, or have rough sex
- Being stuck by infected needles
- Birth – a mother can pass it to a child
- Hepatitis C isn’t spread through food, water, or by casual contact.
Who Gets It?
The CDC recommends you get tested for the disease if you:
- Received blood from a donor who had the disease.
- Have ever injected drugs.
- Had a blood transfusion or an organ transplant before July 1992.
- Received a blood product used to treat clotting problems before 1987.
- Were born between 1945 and 1965.
- Have been on long-term kidney dialysis.
- Have HIV.
- Were born to a mother with hepatitis C.
How Is It Diagnosed?
You can get a blood test to see if you have the hepatitis C virus.
Are There Any Long-Term Effects?
Yes. About 75% to 85% of people who have it develop a long-term infection called chronic hepatitis C. It can lead to conditions like liver cancer and cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. This is one of the top reasons people get liver transplants.
How Is It Treated?
Hepatitis C treatments have changed a lot in recent years. In January 2016, the FDA gave approval to a once-daily pill combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir called Zepatier. It has been shown to have the ability to cure the disease in almost 100% of those treated. It follows the success of another once-daily treatment called Harvoni that cures the disease in most people in 8-12 weeks. Harvoni combines two drugs: sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) and ledipasvir. In clinical trials, the most common side effects in both drugs were fatigue and headache.
Who is at risk for colon cancer?
- Men and Woman age 50 or older.
- African Americans of age 45 or higher.
- People with a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or benign (not cancerous) colorectal polyps
- People with a personal or a familial history of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as long-standing ulcerative colitis or Chron’s disease
- People with a family history of inherited colorectal cancer
#coloncancer #preventable #atrisk
Digestive & Liver Center of Florida
Digestive and Liver Center of Florida was founded to deliver the very best medical care in an environment that supports and comforts patients. Our physicians, Dr. Seela, Dr. Sheela, Dr. Ramesh, Dr. Larach and Dr. Delimata, are recognized authorities in the field of gastroenterology, conducting research and teaching other physicians. We treat the entire range of liver and gastrointestinal conditions and perform most diagnostic procedures including colonoscopy, endoscopy and more advanced tests.
Our state-of-the-art facility on Dean Road in East Orlando includes the Endo-Surgical Center, which is equipped to handle many procedures on site.