What is hepatitis C?
Dr.Kut | Feb 09, 2010 | Comments 0
Hepatitis C is one of those disease that take a long time to show its symptoms as it functions through the liver and hides in the cells of the spleen and the gall bladder. It is extremely difficult to diagnose hepatitis C in its early stages and once the symptoms appear, it is very late to try and make any changes at all.
Hepatitis C causes many deaths all over the world and it is one of the greatest causes for liver transplants. The causes of hepatitis C include contact with people’s whose blood is already infected by the virus through sexual intercourse or through blood transfusion. It gets transmitted through the blood, so people using drugs with needles and tattooing under unhygienic conditions can get infected easily.
Special tests need to be conducted to determine the presence of hepatitis C in the system and they will reveal whether the levels of ALT and AST are balanced or not. There are other tests that are also conducted which include HCV and RNA testing of your blood to measure the RNA particles. These tests need to be conducted on regular basis if you are a hepatitis C patient to make sure that the treatment being given to you is working properly.
However, hepatitis C is a very slow disease and the symptoms of hepatitis C may take up to 20 years. The first sign that you are having these problems may be a great sense of fatigue. Thereafter you may get other liver problems like jaundice, bile retention, skin rashes and itching and autoimmune problems.
The functions of the liver begin to deteriorate and you can get fibrosis of the liver which means that your liver cells are hardening and not allowing it to function properly. Fibrosis leads to cirrhosis and at this stage the liver may become deformed and you will need to have a liver transplant to be able to function. About 20 percent of patients suffering from hepatitis C end up having fibrosis, which is considered to be a very high number. The only way to check out the damage in the liver is to do a biopsy.
Since hepatitis C is a slow progressing disease, it may take a long time before you reach a fatal state, and there are many medications available with your doctor at present to try and combat the problem. Interferon and Ribavirin are the most common drugs being used at present. Some doctors prescribe interferon only as this is a chemical which is very capable of fighting viral infections. Our bodies produce interferon naturally; however, due to the strength of the disease, it is necessary to help the body with outside chemicals to eradicate the virus.
There are many natural and alternative medicines available that are being recommended by the doctors all over the world to strengthen the liver in general and which help in the maintenance of healthy cells and in controlling these kinds of diseases.
However, proper care should also be taken to have a healthy and balance diet, a good fitness regime and a good stress management program to be able to control and get rid of hepatitis C. Avoiding too much alcohol can also be very beneficial in the long run.
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