Hepatitis C is an infection caused by hepatitis C virus. This infection causes inflammation of the liver. It occurs through exposure to blood from unsafe health care, unsafe sexual practices, unsafe injection practices, and unscreened blood transfusion.
Hepatitis C virus can be both acute and chronic hepatitis. If the infection accelerates from acute to chronic, it leads to serious liver problems, such as liver failure, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
According to WHO, it is estimated that 58 million people live with chronic hepatitis C and over 1.5 million infections emerge every day globally.
Still, WHO found that in 2019, an estimated 290, 000 deaths occurred from people with hepatitis C, mostly those with cirrhosis.
At the moment, there is no effective vaccine for this infection, but anti-viral medicines can cure the infection. If not treated, chronic hepatitis C leads to permanent liver damage.
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Symptoms of Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C virus goes through two stages: acute (short-term) and (chronic long-term). In the acute stage, most people don’t show symptoms and if they have them, it is easy to transmit them.
Acute Hepatitis C
Most individuals with hepatitis C do not develop or show symptoms. But if they do, they will start showing within 2 to 12 weeks of exposure. The symptoms are mild and last for a few weeks.
Hepatitis C symptoms are similar to other viral infections. Acute hepatitis C symptoms include:
- Jaundice, occurs rarely
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Vomiting or nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Joint pain
- Clay-colored stool.
Chronic Hepatitis C
When the body immunity cannot fight hepatitis C virus, the infection accelerates to chronic hepatitis B. If it is left untreated, hepatitis C virus leads to fatal complications, such as liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.
After getting chronic hepatitis C, it can be hard to realize you have chronic hepatitis C until your liver shows signs of damage. When the acute hepatitis C accelerates to chronic hepatitis C, you will start showing the following symptoms:
- Constantly feeling fatigued
- Mental confusion and poor concentration
- Vomiting, nausea, and tummy pain
- Pale poo
- Dark urine
- Itchy skin
- Jaundice (yellowish skin and eyes)
- Joint and muscle pain
- Bleeding and bruising easily
- Spiderlike blood vessels on the skin
- Unexplained weight loss
If you go on without treatment, chronic hepatitis C will lead to liver cirrhosis which leads to serious liver damage. Only a small number of people with cirrhosis develop liver cancer and all the complications lead to death if left untreated.
How is Hepatitis C Transmitted?
Because hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus, it is spread when contaminated blood enters an uninfected person’s body. The virus is highly transmittable and it can stay alive outside the body for up to 7 weeks. Hepatitis C is spread through:
- Infected blood and contaminated needles
- Having unprotected sex with an infected person, even if they don’t have symptoms
- It can be passed on from a pregnant mother to their child during pregnancy or birth
- Sharing toothbrushes and razors
- Organ transplants
- Getting a tattoo with nonsterile equipment that is infected
Earlier, blood transfusion and organ transplant were considered viable methods of transmitting hepatitis C. Luckily, medical advances in blood screening have reduced the chances of transmission through the medical process.
Some people are at more risk of hepatitis C virus including:
- If you were ever in prison
- Born to a mother with hepatitis C infection
- Had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992
- Received a tattoo or piercing in an unclean environment
- Had hemodialysis for treatment for a long period
- You have or had a partner with the hepatitis C virus
- If you have injected or inhaled illicit drugs
- Healthcare providers who are always exposed to infected blood
- If received blood clotting factor concentrates and other blood products before 1987
However, hepatitis C cannot be spread through:
- Coughing
- Sharing food or utensils
- Hugging
- Kissing
- A mosquito bite.
How is Hepatitis C Diagnosed and Tested?
When testing whether you have hepatitis C or not, a blood test is conducted to look for antibodies in your blood. If the results are positive, it means you had exposure to the virus, but there is no ongoing infection.
Still, a second blood test can be done called hepatitis C RNA test. This test usually checks whether the virus is still present in your blood. A third blood test known as a genotype test is done to show which type of hepatitis C virus is present.
If you have had hepatitis C infection for long, further tests will be conducted to check for any existing liver damage and rule out other causes. All the tests mostly involve ultrasound scans and blood tests.
A liver biopsy test can be used only when the other tests are not offering reliable information.
Hepatitis C Treatment
When hepatitis C is acute, no treatment is required because the body’s immune system fights the virus. If you test positive in the acute stage, a re-test is needed after a few months to help your doctor know if you need any treatment.
If the infection accelerates to acute infection, treatment will be needed to fight the virus. There are drugs called direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) that cure hepatitis and they are taken for 8-12 weeks.
Some of the DAAs you can use include:
- Glecaprevir and pibrentavir
- Grazoprevir/asvir
- Sofosbuvir
- Peginterferon
- Ledipasvir from Harvoni
If you had hepatitis C in the past, keep in mind that you can get it again. The worst that can happen is getting hepatitis C with another type. This can be life-threatening and needs a lot of medical attention.
For those who had hepatitis C, you should get vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B to protect your liver from damage. After successful treatment, you should take the right steps to prevent further infections.
Hepatitis C Prevention
There are vaccines available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but there is no vaccine yet for hepatitis C. The best way to prevent this virus is by avoiding exposure to the virus. However, you can protect yourself from hepatitis by doing the following:
- Stop using illicit drugs (mostly injecting)
- Practice safe sex with your partner
- Get your tattoos and piercings done at licensed facilities only
- Don’t share needles or syringes with anyone
- Avoid using someone’s nail clippers, razor, or toothbrush
If you have hepatitis C, use the following methods to prevent spreading the virus to others:
- Tell sexual partners you have hepatitis C and use protection
- Wear gloves when touching an uninfected person’s open sores
- Don’t share drug needles and drug materials
- Make tattooists and piercers know that you have hepatitis C so that they can use unopened ink and sterile tools
- Avoid sharing your razors, toothbrush, and nail clippers
For all individuals with hepatitis C, they should maintain a healthy weight, quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption, and control diabetes. This will prevent liver damage from accelerating.
Wrapping Up
Hepatitis is a serious blood-borne viral infection worldwide and it causes liver damage if not well treated. However, every day advancements in blood screening, organ transplants, modern treatments, and safe prevention methods have made it easy to reduce and contain this infection.
If you develop symptoms, early diagnosis and treatment will reduce complications. In addition, if you are at more risk of hepatitis C, regular screening will be important to ensure you don’t get the virus.
Therefore, follow all the prevention measures to avoid getting this virus.