Dental Problems Delaying The Initiation Of Interferon Therapy For Hcv Infected Patients

Many people don’t understand how dangerous Hepatitis C is because it is not commonly known about as much as Hepatitis A or B. This disease is however very serious. Although frequently asymptomatic in time the virus can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. Symptoms of HCV are jaundice (yellowing of the eyes), stomach pain, nausea and fatigue. Treatment options for the disease, if caught early enough is a combination of medications or depending on the degree of damage, a liver transplant. ”For some people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness but for 70%-85% of people who become infected with

Hepatitis C has been referred to as a "Silent Epidemic," since it usually progresses slowly over many years. Most people who are infected with hepatitis C are not aware of any noticeable symptoms for as long as one to two decades after they are infected. In fact, by the time symptoms appear, the virus has probably already begun to damage the liver. If the liver is injured and stops functioning, death will always be the outcome (Lieber). Liver failure from chronic hepatitis C is one of the most common causes of liver transplants in the United States.

There are a number of individuals who may be suffering from an illness and not even be aware they have an illness. One example of such illness is Hepatitis C (HCV). Hepatitis C is a severe disease of the liver. It is caused by the Hepatitis C virus (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2015). As a result, Hepatitis C has been termed a silent epidemic (CDC, 2015). This is because a lot of individuals have Hepatitis C and don’t even realize they have the infection (CDC, 2015). As the infection begins to progress over time, it could cause acute issues to the liver (CDC, 2015). Those issues could be things like damage to the liver, the liver could fail to function, cirrhosis, or even cancer of the liver (CDC, 2015). However, screening for Hepatitis C will allow an individual to benefit from treatments that are available, hence eliminating the disease from the body and preventing the liver from undergoing any further damage (CDC, 2015).

Additionally, her medications included chlorhexidine liquid for mouth care, Colace for bowel care, famotidine for prevention of gastric acid, folic acid, thiamine and multiple vitamins due to patient being on enteral feeding and nothing by mouth, gabapentin for peripheral neuropathy, heparin for prevention of thrombus formation, hydralazine for management of hypertension, Furosemide/Lasix for diuresis to remove extra fluid from tissues and bloodstream thereby reducing swelling and promote breathing for management of pulmonary hypertension. Moreover, her medications also included regular insulin for blood glucose management, albuterol for respiratory management, melatonin for promotion of rest and sleep, methylprednisolone sodium for interstitial lung disease management, quetiapine/Seroquel for agitation’s role in tachypnea and Clindamycin/Cleocin as prophylactic for infection prevention. She also completed a course of Cefepime antibiotic from 2/17-2/21 and Vancomycin from 2/17-2/19.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic liver. Over time, infections can lead to liver damage, liver cancer, and even liver failure.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes inflammation of the liver, eventually leading to tissue damage. Cirrhosis is the result of extensive scarring of the liver. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that HCV typically causes cirrhosis in 5 to 20 percent of infected people over a period of 20 to 30 years. Overall, cirrhosis develops 20 to 30 percent of the time. Progression to cirrhosis may be accelerated in people who are older, obese, drink alcohol, or are immune-suppressed (such as people who are coinfected with HIV).

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus. The disease can be either acute or a chronic infection, which can be mild or a lifelong disease. This disease also is the major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The disease is slow moving and sometimes take up to thirty years to damage the liver. In the United States there are an estimated three to four million people with the disease and are not even aware. Approximately thirty percent of the individuals infected within six months have no symptoms and will not even be aware that they have the disease. In the remaining seventy percent infected the disease will become chronic. According to statics one hundred and seventy million people are chronically infected worldwide.

In general, a patient is infected with only one hepatitis C virus genotype. The strain of genotypes is not differentiated by the severity of the disease. However, there will make a distinction in the regimen and the duration of the treatment (CDC, 2016). Treatment for chronic HCV is based on guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Associations for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The criteria of who should receive the treatment include how much the virus in the body, the strain of hepatitis C, the degree of liver inflammation or damage, comorbidity, and response to previous treatment (Infectious Diseases Society of America [IDSA], 2016). The highest priority for treatment should give to a patient with advanced fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis (IDSA, 2016). Moreover, treatment priority should provide to the patient who has a high risk of transmitting the disease from and to others, such as individuals who are active injection drug users and hemodialysis patients (IDSA, 2016).

     Hepatitis C affects approximately 1.8% of the population in the U.S. This accounts for nearly 4 million people. And this number is only growing. It

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne pathogen that is expected to cause over 190,000 deaths between 2010 and 2019.1 HIV is about 5 times less common than hepatitis C virus (HCV) and in 2007 deaths due to HCV surpassed those due to HIV. The infection is more common in populations of high-risk (the homeless and prisoners) who predominantly do not participate in surveys, therefor the number infected with HCV is actually higher than reported. There are a number of risk factors for the infection, but injection-drug use is number one.

When a doctor uses the term Hepatitis C or HCV, what comes to mind? Many people have little to no knowledge of what it is. Is it deadly? Is there a cure? Is it a virus or disease? There are many questions that enter the mind because there are many concerns associated with an unknown illness. Several people wonder if the virus is similar to hepatitis A or B because there has been education throughout the years that provides more awareness surrounding the two known viruses, but it is discovered there are vast differences. Until recently, the general population was unaware that another hepatitis virus acted as a silent killer. Unlike hepatitis A or B, hepatitis C is a relatively new disease that can go unnoticed until it is too late. The virus

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a blood borne virus that can lead to chronic liver disease and liver failure. In Canada, nearly 250,000 people have an active Hepatitis C infection (Strike, Leonard, Millson, Anstice, Berkeley, & Medd, 2006). People who inject drugs (PWID) are disproportionately represented in this statistic accounting for over 66% of those infected (Strike et al., 2006). Needle sharing among PWID is oft cited as one of the leading causes of HCV transmission (Strike et al. 2006).

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (~55 to 65 nm), spherical enveloped virus that can cause major illness. Hepatitis C was discovered after the intense investigations between 1982 and 1988 in Chiron corporation. Michael Houghton discovered the non-A and non-B hepatitis by using the molecular approach. Hepatitis C affects liver caused by the hepatitis virus; the virus can cause acute and chronic hepatitis infection ranging from a mild illness to severity, lifelong illness. Mostly patients are affected with acute infection; however, chronic hepatitis is caused by liver cirrhosis a severe scarring which can lead to liver failure. HCV affects more than 185 million people worldwide. The rate of chronic hepatitis is affected by race, gender, and viral immune response. Depending on the certain region, hepatitis C infections can be concentrated in certain populations or in general populations. The HCV have high genetic diversity which is characterized by regional variation which makes treating the infection more challenging. Hepatitis patients are often prescribed ribavirin and interferon; but current research is developing new therapeutic drugs which will be less toxic and can be targeted to each genotype. This review will provide the historical, and scientific aspects of hepatitis C virus.

Traditionally, HCV screenings was offered to those considered at high risk, however; the rationale behind doing testing for hepatitis C among baby boomers is because they are 5 times more likely to have hepatitis C than the general population. Nowadays, the regimen therapy for hepatitis C infection is much less toxic than prior antivirals (i.e. interferon B, ribavirin), and the cure rates are more than 95% with current therapy. Additionally, hepatitis C chronic infection may cause significant morbidity (liver cirrhosis) and increase health care costs when patients develop the complications from cirrhosis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major issue in today’s society. This flavivirus infection was discovered in 1989, before which it was called a non-A, non-B hepatitis. The world health organization (WHO) estimates that 3% of the world’s population has already been infected with HCV and there are almost 170 million carriers who are at risk of developing HCV.