Signs and symptoms of hepatitis C

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis C

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus and its target of infection is liver. Depending upon the range of infection, Hepatitis C can prove to be acute diseases lasting for weeks only or chronic lifelong disease. The hepatitis C virus spreads through unsafe injection practices; use of unsterilized medical equipment; and the transfusion of unchecked blood and blood products from infected person to healthy person. Chronic Hepatitis C infection accounts for 130-150 million victims globally. 

The patients suffering from severe Hepatitis C diseases ultimately fall prey of liver rotting and liver cancer which results in dead of approximately 500 000 people each year. 90% patients who suffer from Hepatitis C infection can be saved by dosing them with anti viral medicines. There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C however researchers are piling up every possible chemical they can in order to manufacture permanent medicine or Hepatitis C.

Africa and Asia being the major reservoirs of Hepatitis C infection, this disease is found in every corner of globe however the intensity of infection varies from region to region. The hepatitis C virus travels across the human body via blood and the most commonly possible modes of transmissions include the dosing of drug / vaccine through a common instrument, by use of non sterilised or insufficiently sterilised medical instruments in surgeries or another medical processes, by unchecked transfusion of blood and its products. 

These are the major disease transmission modes however HC can also spread by sexual contact or cam pass from a mother to her child but these modes of transmission are rarely seen. It’s also worth mentioning that you can comfortably hug, kiss, share foods and drinks with HCV infected person and there is no harm even this virus is not able to spread via breast feeding of a mother to her child.

Signs and Symptoms of Hepatitis C:

Diagnosing of this disease is very tough because when this disease is in its early phase, no visible symptoms are noticeable.  But in the latter stages, when it reaches out to your liver, condition becomes serious. This HCV is considered as the most dangerous of all Hepatitis viruses. People suffering from acute form of Hepatitis C infection are unable to notice any symptoms and this is the case with about 80% people however some people suffering from acute Hepatitis C infection may develop symptoms such as tiredness, fever, and loss of appetite. 

As far as remaining 20% people are concerned, the case with them is that as soon as Hepatitis C virus strikes them, they develop some major symptoms which include nausea or vomiting, stomach pain, yellowness of eyes and skin, irregular bowel movements, pain in muscles / joints, etc.

Once a person is exposed to Hepatitis C virus, he should develop early symptoms within 6-7 weeks but if the time period exceeds without any symptoms then delayed symptoms are most likely to play their part which can occur anytime from 6 months to 10 years. It’s because the Hepatitis C virus could take years of time to do some adequate damage in liver which would result in onset of symptoms. It some persons, developing of symptoms in chronic for can take a lifetime.

Hepatitis C infection is broadly of two types which comprise of acute Hepatitis C and chronic Hepatitis C. 

The time taken to develop symptoms determines the type of Hepatitis C infection you have. If you start showing symptoms within  6 months or less then it is acute Hepatitis C while as if you take more time than that then you are suffering from chronic form of Hepatitis C and it can last even for lifetime.

Since you are not sure that you have Hepatitis C infection, you can visit your doctor and after doing a simple blood test, he can make sure whether you are suffering from this disease or not. After that a simple biopsy of your liver will confirm whether your form of Hepatitis C infection is acute or chronic.  Your doctor will take action according to the intensity of Hepatitis C infection spread inside your liver and amount of damage that has already been done to your liver since the start of this disease up to the development of symptoms.

Possible Treatment:

After completing the entire test procedures, you will surely come to know whether you are suffering from Hepatitis C infection or not. If yes then the doctor will prescribe you the medicines which will stop damage caused by Hepatitis C infection to your liver. If you have chronic Hepatitis C infection then you will be prescribed with ribaverin and interferon. 

These drugs aren’t well built for every type of person and if you notice anything unusual after taking these drugs then you should discuss it with your doctor so that your medicinal combination can be changed. The developed countries are claiming to have developed a drug which has 90% cure rate in case of Hepatitis C infection and if it’s the real fact then the face of this disease will soon get eradicated from this planet.

Safety:

It’s well said that prevention is better than cure. In order to save yourself from attaining this dangerous infection, it’s essential to take some safety measures. You should only have safe sex practice, make sure the needles are sterilized before getting injected, it’s better to stop needle sharing, before undergoing any surgery make sure the medical instruments are well sterilized.

If you are a tattoo fan then confirm with your tattoo artist that the needle is sterilized properly or make use of new needle instead of sharing older one. In case you came to know that you have got infected by this disease, the first and the foremost thing you should be doing is to consult your doctor as soon as possible. Any further delay can result in the potential damage to your liver.