Introduction of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a chronic disease related to infection of
the Liver. The situation has been self-limiting and it can also be lead to
cancer of the liver. The virus of Hepatitis is the most common cause of having
hepatitis all around the world. Hepatitis can also be caused by having any
intoxication of substances (drug intake, use of alcohol) and other infections.
Hepatitis is an autoimmune disease(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018).
Risk factors of hepatitis
The virus of hepatitis can easily be spread through the
contaminated water we drink. And it can also be drawn to eating unhealthy and
unhygienic food. This Disease can also happen through vegetables, which were
cultivated in polluted water. The virus can easily be transferred from body to
mouth. And mainly be transferred from hand to mouth because hands are the
central part of the body, which is directly getting in connection with the mouth(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018). Get in contact with
contaminated blood and uncleaned medical tools can also spread hepatitis C. and
these viruses can easily be transferred from mother to his child and as well as
tainted instruments of dental. Getting tattoos and pricing of different parts
can also be lead to having hepatitis. it can also be transferred easily by
getting in contact with blood. To avoid these Risk factors of having hepatitis
humans should need to take precautions such as using sterilized tools or mainly
use disposable things. And should wash their hands before and after eating or
visiting any place(Murrell & Davis, 2017).
Types of Hepatitis
Hepatitis can be classified into five types A, B, C, D,
E, to understand better about the condition of the disease. And these types
have been of extreme distresses as they cause the liability of sickness and
death and epidemic eruptions that they spread.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis
A can be presented in the faeces of infected individuals, and this can easily
be converted through the ingestion of polluted water. And these types of
infections were mild in some cases, but in many cases, it has a severe
condition.
Hepatitis B
it
can be converted through getting in connection with blood, and it is not as
chronic and severe as the above one. And vaccinations are available to prevent
HBV(Murrell & Davis, 2017).
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis
C has been typically diffused through acquaintance with infectious blood. And
it is much less common, and there is no vaccine for HCV.
HEPATITIS C
Hepatitis
C disease related to infection of the Liver. The virus of Hepatitis C can be
spread through acquaintance with infectious blood. Hepatitis C was the most
common and world-known type of Hepatitis. This can be deal with by having
different treatments(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018).
Stages of Hepatitis C
The
stages of hepatitis C can be classified into different stages according to its
intensity and duration, and these stages are as following:
Acute Hepatitis C: this stage can be referred to as illness for
a short-time period, which continues only for 6 months when the virus enters
the body of an individual. it will be a cure quickly.
Chronic Hepatitis C: acute hepatitis will be turned into chronic
if it still remains in individuals' bodies more then six months and then it
will turn in as Long-term infection.
Liver Cancer: the chronic condition of this will lead to a
towArd having cancer of the liver, and this is the worse and uncurable stage of
Hepatitis C(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018).
Hepatitis C
Symptoms of Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that can cause
inflammation of the liver and sometimes it leads to serious liver damage. The
long-term infection because of the hepatitis C virus is called hepatitis C and
it is usually due to silent infection until the whole liver is damaged because
of virus that causes signs and symptoms of liver disease. The signs and
symptoms of hepatitis include bruising, fatigue, bleeding, poor appetite, dark
coloured urine, yellow discoloured eyes and skin that is jaundice, itchy skin,
fluid buildup in the abdomen, swelling of legs, confusion, slurred speech,
drowsiness, weight loss, and spider-like blood vessels in the skin. The other
symptoms of acute hepatitis C infection include sore muscles, joint pain,
nausea, poor appetite, and stomach pain(Abdeldayem, Elshaarawy, & Salman, 2015).
How anyone gets Hepatitis C?
There are many reasons through which anyone can get
Hepatitis C. The first way by which people get infected by hepatitis c is by
sharing injection drugs. The people who take drugs through injections can pass
on the hepatitis C virus by sharing injection & needles. Hepatitis C is
also be passed on by birth. If the mother is infected with the Hepatitis C
virus than it can pass this virus to his/her child. Hepatitis C can also be
passed on to another person if personal care items are shared with other
persons which include nail clippers, razors, toothbrushes etc. If the act of
tattooing or piercing is done with unclean equipment than the chances of
getting Hepatitis C are quite higher(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018).
However, Hepatitis C cannot be passed on through coughing
and casual contact with people. Through hugging and mosquito bites Hepatitis C
cannot be passed on to other people. With sneezing, sharing utensils and foods
Hepatitis C cannot be passed on(Abdeldayem, Elshaarawy, & Salman, 2015).
Advance hepatitis C
Symptoms
The acute phase is the initial cause
for the infection of chronic hepatitis C. If the symptoms are not diagnosed the
acute hepatitis C become worse. The acute symptoms of hepatitis appear after
one or three months after the exposure of the virus. The symptoms last for the
two weeks to three weeks. Acute hepatitis C infection is not always a chronic
issue. Some of the people having clear HCV in the body are facing the acute
phase even after spontaneous analysis of viral clearance(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018). The research
conducted in the previous analysis diagnosed rate of acute HCV that varied from
15% to 25%. The response rate for acute hepatitis changes in antiviral therapy.
Hepatitis C at the acute stage does not show any symptoms, however, the
condition of the health can be changed and escalate to the chronic stage. At
the chronic stage the potentially fatal complications can be developed in the
patients(Murrell & Davis, 2017).
1.
In
the case of acute hepatitis C, infection at the early stage is not diagnosed
because of lack of definitive symptoms. The analysis average time frame is
measured by the noticeable symptoms between 4 to 15 weeks.
2.
The
HCV becomes intense chronic when the virus remains stuck in the blood vessels
for the six months. The HCV virus can be detected after testing and diagnosis
is confirmed. The infection caused by the virus will not resolve without
treatment and proper medication(Abdeldayem, Elshaarawy, & Salman, 2015). The main symptom of
chronic hepatitis C is ongoing episodes of abdominal pain, aching joints, and
persistent fatigue. After 25 to 30 years, the infection and chronic disease can
cause significant scarring, fibrosis, and swelling of the liver. The whole
liver becomes scarred and the progress is to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver
failure. The overall health of the infected individual can be determined by the
damage and progression of cirrhosis. The genotype of the virus has no
significant role in the physical health of the individuals(Gish, Cohen, O.M.D., & Doner, 2001).
Risk Factors Regarding
Hepatitis C
The HCV virus cause Hepatitis C and the virus are
transmitted through the contact of blood to blood interaction. The virus is
inactive when it enters in the living cell of the host. The virus replicates in
the body and infection cause duplication of virus and circulation of the virus
in the body. The virus circulates in the body through the blood circulation and
causes a big risk to the health of the individual. The biggest risk factor for
the infected HCV cells is sharing blood with others and sharing equipment and
needle to inject drugs. HCV cannot be transmitted by having casual contact,
mosquito bites, sharing food, and respiratory droplets(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018). The speck of blood
is relatively very small,and it is not viewable to the naked eye and carry
hundreds of virus particles of hepatitis C. It is important to clean the needle
with the alcohol and rinse with water or soap. The needle and springe air dry
can be used to kill the virus. Once the virus of disease is injected into the
body and it leads to infection. Injecting drugs in the body can cause 67 per
cent of global cases. The centres for disease control (CDC) worked on the
disease and identified different factors that can lead to the greatest risk
related to HCV exposure. The risk factors are measured in the patient being
born between 1945 and 1965, received an organ transplant, transfusion before
1992, injectable drugs, haemophilia, and long-term hemodialysis(Gish, Cohen, O.M.D., & Doner, 2001). The other risk
factors are exposure to the needle, being incarcerated, and snorting drugs. The
other risk factors associated with the hepatitis are listed below,
1.
Snorting
drugs
2.
Long
term use of alcohol
3.
Unexplained
liver disease
4.
Risky
sexual behaviours
5.
Unprotected
intercourse with intravenous drug
6.
Haemophilia
7.
Long
term hemodialysis
8.
Transfusion
and transplant of the organs
9.
Being
incarcerated
10.
Patients
having parents with HCV infection
Diagnostic & Testing
of hepatitis C
Very often it is observed that HCV is overlooked and
mistaken for the less severe viral illness. The infection is rare to be
diagnosed during the acute phase of the problem. The initial stage to diagnose
hepatitis C is to identify the immune system of the person suffering from the
disease. The HCV responds to the infection and the identified ratio of the
cases is 20 per cent. The remaining 80 per cent of the cases are identified as
a chronic disease. It becomes possible to spread HCV to other living beings
without even noticing the situation(Abdeldayem, Elshaarawy, & Salman, 2015). The screening test
is used to identify the disease and CDC that have measured the risk level of
the people. The patients and other people can use the HCV by using the simple
blood test that is also screening of the HCV antibody system. The rapid test is
approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it takes only a few
minutes to consider the whole situation of the patient. The negative test
results show that the person has no issue and he was not previously exposed to
the disease. On the contrary, the positive test means that the person has been
exposed to the HCV but at the moment it is not necessarily proven with the ongoing
infection. All the positive reports of the HCV antibody test results will lead
to the second blood test that is known as HCV RNA (PCR)(O'Hehir & Sheikh, 2016). The test analysis
is used to identify whether the virus is still present in the body and blood or
not. The person having positive PCR must discuss with the liver specialist and
the service provider to treat HCV. It is important that in case of positive
test results the person suffering from it will always remain HCV positive even
if the virus is present or not. In the diagnosis, once the chronic infection is
confirmed it shows that the genotype virus is identified in the testing. The
testing process determines the percentile cure rate and it depends on the
length of treatment and preferred medication process. In some cases, the liver
biopsy is recommended by the liver specialist to identify the severity of the
disease and to find the stage of the disease. The test measure staging and
degree of fibrosis and evaluate the extent of liver damage(Gish, Cohen, O.M.D., & Doner, 2001).
Treatment &
Medication
Currently, the treatment of chronic hepatitis C is the
combination of medications that must be followed properly. The genotype of the
virus that is responsible for hepatitis is the main determining parameter for
the medication and duration of treatment(Kimberlin, Brady, Long, & Jackson, 2018). One of the most
prevalent types of genotype is 1a in the united states and presently there is a
number of the treatment process that is recommended by the doctors and
specialists. These treatment processes are a combination of powerful antiviral
medications. Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are simple and possible agents for
the treatment of HCV. The medication works for the targeting of specified steps
in the HCV life cycle and it disrupts the reproduction that becomes viral for
the cells. Before the use of DAAs, the other treatment strategy used by the
specialist was uncomfortable as well as lengthy and the cure rates were also
less. The use of DAAs improved the treatment and cure rates up to 90 per cent.
In this case, the average duration of treatment reduced to 8 or 12 weeks(Allam, 2017). The medication is
well tolerated and has no side effects such as fatigue and headache. The cost
of HCV is $100,000 and DAA combination therapy is used to approve coverage that
is required. The chronic HCV is used to reduce the development of complications
and it works to improve and resolve the life-threatening circumstances. After
identification of chronic HCV, the patient must overcome the complications and
they need approval for the complete coverage. The best course of action to
treat the patient of HCV is to treat him or her before the disease develops
complications and progresses. The care
to overcome the HCV is to consider the risk-based screening, outlook for the
prevention of serious liver complications, well-tolerated treatment
continuously, and taking care of the infection to overcome the disease. (Webmd. com, 2019)
Prevention for hepatitis
C
In order to prevent the hepatitis C, it involves the
limiting exposure of virus. The virus should not transmit in the blood by any
infected blood exposure. The other way of prevention is to stay away from
sharing needles and having contact with any blood related things of others (Mayoclinic. org, 2019). After the
identification, the patients and people must receive the vaccines of hepatitis
A and B. The lifestyle of the infected person must be changed to promote the
optimum liver health. The issues that can increase the chance of hepatitis
include smoking, obesity, diabetes and alcohol consumption that can increase
the liver scarring rate (Murrell & Davis, 2017). The individuals
suffering from HCV infection must maintain good health by taking valuable
initiatives that are listed below,
1.
Avoided
smoking
2.
Maintain
the ideal weight as recommended by doctor and specialist
3.
Manage
the health issues
4.
Abstain
from all type of drugs and alcohol
All the considerations are required to prevent the
individuals from Hepatitis. In case of having hepatitis, the patient must do
required care and treatment.
References of hepatitis
Abdeldayem,
H., Elshaarawy, A., & Salman, T. (2015). Recent Advances in Liver
Diseases and Surgery. Book on demand.
Allam,
N. (2017). Advances in Treatment of Hepatitis C and B. BoD – Books on
Demand.
Gish,
R., Cohen, M. R., O.M.D., L. A., & Doner, K. (2001). The Hepatitis C
Help Book: A Groundbreaking Treatment Program Combining Western and Eastern
Medicine for Maximum Wellness and Healing. St. Martin's Press.
Kimberlin,
D. W., Brady, M. T., Long, S. S., & Jackson, M. A. (2018). Red Book
2018: Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. American Academy of
Pediatrics.
Mayoclinic.
org. (2019). Hepatitis C. Retrieved from www.mayoclinic.org:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-c/symptoms-causes/syc-20354278
Murrell,
D., & Davis, K. (2017). Everything you need to know about hepatitis C.
Retrieved from www.medicalnewstoday.com:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/294705.php#takeaway
O'Hehir,
R. E., & Sheikh, A. (2016). Middleton's Allergy Essentials.
Elsevier.
Webmd.
com. (2019). Hepatitis C Symptoms and Early Warning Signs. Retrieved
from www.webmd.com:
https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/understanding-hepatitis-c-symptoms