Commonly asked questions about hepatitis C

Hepatitis is a condition that affects the liver. It may occur as a result of an infection; however, there are some factors that can also cause hepatitis. Liquor, certain prescription medications, and even injury can cause hepatitis. Be that as it may, there are specific infections that can cause hepatitis to remain for quite a while, known as constant hepatitis. This disease can even prompt liver failure and even death. Viral hepatitis is caused by an infection. There are four types of this kind of hepatitis: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C and delta hepatitis. The most terrifying of out of these is hepatitis C.

What is hepatitis C?

• Hepatitis C infection (HCV) is the most widely recognized blood-borne disease.
• Hepatitis C infection contaminates liver cells, causing harm to the liver tissues.
• Hepatitis C represents the larger part of what was alluded to in the past as non-A, non-B hepatitis.
• It causes up to around 19,000 deaths each year because of serious liver disease and malignancy

How does hepatitis C spread?

• Hepatitis C is spread through human blood.
• There is a large number of individuals that are infected with hepatitis C due to the use of certain medications.
• Individuals who have had transfusions of blood are at a greater risk of developing this disease.
• The number of cases of hepatitis C has now been kept in check because of a compulsory test that checks the blood utilized for transfusions.
• This kind of hepatitis infection can also be transmitted sexually.
• You cannot get the hepatitis C infection from nourishment, water or by shaking someone’s hand.

What are the symptoms of Hepatitis C?

• There are some signs and symptoms that can help with the diagnosis of hepatitis C, but most hepatitis patients have no indications of the condition.
• Symptoms of hepatitis C include fever, weakness, fatigue, headache, and diarrhea
• Also, muscle pain is a symptom often seen among people who are suffering from Hepatitis C.

What are the impacts of hepatitis C?

• As indicated by the CDC- Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis C will turn into unending contamination in roughly 75-85% of those with the infection.
• The sickness might gradually advance more in the next 10 to 40 years.
• A number of individuals who are infected with this condition don’t know they carry the infection until it is very difficult to treat.
• Conditions, for example, cirrhosis (serious broad scarring) and fibrosis (light to extreme scarring) are normal among individuals with HCV contamination. These conditions make it troublesome for the liver to function efficiently.
• Furthermore, similar to the hepatitis B infection, HCV contamination could also cause hepatocellular carcinoma, a sort of liver growth.

What are the medications or treatments used to treat hepatitis C?

• Previously, constant hepatitis C was treated with a mix of Ribavirin and Interferon. Instead of specifically attacking the infection, these medications worked by boosting the immune system. The immune system would then fight the infection.
• The objective of this treatment was to free the body of the infection. These medicines had a variable rate of treatment/cure and could have critical side effects.
• Since 2011, the medical organization of the country has endorsed numerous antivirals that help to fight hepatitis C more effectively. These medications have much-preferred achievement rates over the more commonly prescribed medications.
• Probably the most suggested medicines for various genotypes of hepatitis C include: ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (Harvoni), elbasvir-grazoprevir (Zepatier), ombitasvir-paritaprevir-ritonavir (Technivie), ombitasvir-paritaprevir-ritonavir and dasabuvir (Viekira Pak), daclatasvir-sofosbuvir (Darvoni or Sovodak), glecaprevir-pibrentasvir (Mavyret).
• These medications are protease inhibitors. This means they keep the infection from getting the proteins it needs to duplicate. Over some undefined time, about 8 to 24 weeks, the infection ceases to exist and clear from the body.