Disscusion Case Study

This research paper is going to review today’s silent killer, the Hepatitis C virus. This paper will talk about the description of the disease, the signs and symptoms, the etiology and risk factors, diagnostic studies, treatments and prognosis of this disease. I had lived with this disease for over ten years before diagnosed so it is important to understand the signs and symptoms so the disease can be identified and a treatment plan can be identified as the sooner it is treated the more likely it will eradicate the disease.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is from the virus family Flaviviridae with an RNA envelope serving as it's genetic material. The genetic material (RNA) is HCV's pathogenic structure. The genome is positive sense single stranded RNA, which is very similar to mRNA and can be translated quickly to the host cell (Bauman 2012). Hepatitis C is an enveloped virus, and the RNA also lacks a proofreading ability after replication, which results in mutations coding for many genotypes within the host. This genetic variability makes it difficult for the host immune system to clear all the HCV infections. As one infection clears, another strain is being produced (Bauman 2012). The HCV antibody detected by ELISA(Wilkinson

A few years ago, Hepatitis C was a scary term for many of us. But, today the medical problem is curable as there are various and advanced ways available. The improvement in the treatment is especially notable because experts have worked harder to obtain this success. Still, there are some significant changes are left and hopefully they will be completed soon. Presently, the HCV treatments get rid of the virus in merely slightly more than half of all sufferers. The medicines also have unnecessary side effects that make it complicated or not possible for some patients to get them. HCV medication online available, but it is not worthy to take them without the concern of the doctor.

The increasing number of citizens that are testing positive for Hepatitis C is shocking and the epidemic is just getting worse. One out of every one hundred people in the general population has Hepatitis C, but the ratio is higher in prisons. One out of every six inmates has Hepatitis C (Wegner, Rottnek, Parker and Crippin, 2014). Hepatitis C (HCV) is a blood disease that is caused by a virus and it affects the liver. Unfortunately there is no vaccine to prevent this disease and I have seen first-hand how ugly this virus is. I have worked in the medical field for the past 6 years and I have a very close friend who contracted HCV. Unfortunately, she was one of the many people that needed a liver transplant. HCV has infected four times as

Until 2011, the main therapy against the infection was Pegylated-interferon (Peg-IFN) and the ribavirin (RBV) treatment (11). Interferon is a type of protein that stimulates the immune system and helps halt the virus from spreading throughout the body. Pegylated-interferon is a combination of three types of interferon, including polyethylene (PEG), which helps the treatment remain in the body for a longer time period. Ribavirin is a medication that helps stop the HCV virus from replicating. It is commonly used in combination with interferon, which is referred to as the “Peg/riba therapy.” This combination therapy is more effective than the interferon itself. However, these medications do not have a one hundred percent cure rate and it was reported

Sovaldi also known as Sofosbuvir is one of the latest anti- HCV drug in the market (Ollove, 2014). The drug has already been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) having gone through years of clinical trials. The drug’s claim to fame other than its high cost ($84,000 for 12 weeks of treatment or $1000 for one pill) is that it boasts of shorter treatment duration of about 3 months

HCV can run years or even decades and may be undiagnosed. This is the reason that until the infection progressed so far because the virus infection and low probability are causing side effects or symptoms. In many cases, we found that HCV liver injury found by regular medical

Regina is a 62-year-old female diagnosed with chronic viral Hepatitis C (B18.2) and is genotype 1a. She is treatment naïve. Her most recent lab results indicate HCV RNA 4,005,368 IU/mL, ALT 63, and AST 83. Regina’s CT scan shows a cirrhotic appearance of the liver.

Nwakamma stated, “Routes of infection include organ transplantation, IV drug use, sexual contact, exposure to blood, perinatal transmission or occupational exposure” (Nwakamma). Organ transplantation was one of the first ways scientists were able to determine the cause of Hepatitis C. Another more common way Hepatitis C is still being spread is by IV drug use. If a IV needle is contaminated with infected blood, that can cause the person using it to get hepatitis C. When people are injecting drugs into their bodies using someone else’s needle, they are putting themselves at high risk to contract any infectious virus. Infectious viruses are not visible on objects but they are visible once they enter in your bloodstream. The formation of the virus is identified as a positive stranded RNA. Nwakamma makes a similar point about the description of the virus by stating, “The Hepatitis C virus is a small, enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae, and has a genome of approximately ten-thousand nucleotides coding for structural proteins” (Nwakamma). Once the Hepatitis C virus binds to a cell surface receptor that leads to viral entry into the host cell. Due to Flaviviridae being an RNA virus, it cannot replicate in the nucleus. Patients whose condition with Hepatitis C becomes chronic often have a hard time producing insulin. In accordance with the previous

In the 1960’s and 70’s the virus was actually identified after years of research. Scientists were able to discover the Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B virus through numerous blood tests. They also noticed there were patients that tested positive for a virus that was not Hepatitis A or B. This unknown virus was named non-A, non- B hepatitis. In the 1980’s, The Center for Disease Control was able to identify the virus where it was given the name Hepatitis C (“Hepatitis C FAQ”). In 1990, blood banks started testing for the virus by screening blood before it was transfused. By screening the blood, this reduced the risk of contraction by .01% (“Hepatitis C History”). There are two types of Hepatitis C known as Acute Hepatitis C and Chronic Hepatitis C. Acute hepatitis C is a short-term infection in which symptoms can last up to 6 months. Those with Acute Hepatitis C endure the short term effects of the infection because the body is able to fight off the infection and get rid of the virus. In most cases, the infection is asymptomatic but can lead to a more serious infection which can lead to scarring of the liver causing cirrhosis. This form of HCV is known as Chronic Hepatitis C in which the infection causes cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis can take many years, but it can lead to other health concerns such as liver failure, liver cancer, and other life threatening issues. Patients that contract cirrhosis of the

Many high-risk populations have active HCV infection. It is in the best interest of these persons as well as those they might expose to the virus to be tested early and have the earliest opportunity to receive interventions. Appropriate screening for risk is the responsibility of every healthcare worker. A public health concern is that with better screening and early intervention, lives can be saved and quality of life can be improved for those who have and live

We hypothesize that this collaboration will effectively facilitate the engagement process by maximizing the social ecological factors influence of KAB, thereby, creating greater awareness of opportunities to understand liver disease related disparities in AI. Moreover, our multidisciplinary approach allows us to understand cultural, biological, genetic, and behavioral factors impact AI acquisition to a positive viral hepatitis serostatus. We plan explore the etiology of viral hepatitis by examining genotypes and sub-genotypes, viral genetic mutations, and host genetic and immunologic factors to determine the important mechanisms driving chronic HBV and/or HCV infections among AI. In addition, at the clinical level, we must understand the role of host genetic factors in the processes of inflammation, liver regeneration and diseases progression. It is our rationale that these approaches provide new opportunities to decrease the burden of viral hepatitis and subsequent complications in the AI in the US. This CBPR study will combine translational science approaches to address the following specific

Hepatitis is a disease caused by a virus that is characterized by liver inflammation. There are three common types of hepatitis – A, B, and C. “Over the past 15 years the incidences of hepatitis and b virus infection in the US have declined significantly. By contrast, the incidence of hepatitis C, formally stable or in decline, has increased 75% since 2010”. (Dan, 2015)

Reports indicate that the extracellular serine protease inhibitor, C1INH, can effectively bind HABP2 in the blood (27). We therefore examined whether C1INH can colocalize with HABP2 in

Injection drug use has been the principal mode of transmission of HCV since the 1970's. In comparison to other viral infections, HCV is more rapidly acquired after initiation of intravenous drug use. In addition, rates of HCV among young injecting drug-users are four times higher than HIV infection. Studies of injection drug users have demonstrated that the prevalence of HCV infection in them is extremely high, with up to 90% having been exposed (Patrick et al., 2000). In addition, the incidence of new infections is also high, with seroconversion rates of 10-20 percent per year of injecting (Hahn.2001).