Hepatitis C Is A Prevalent Health Care Problem

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.

Liver cirrhosis, which is the end product of liver disease caused by HCV, is the leading cause of organ transplants in the United States (Hirsch, 2000).

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

According to Baily, et al. (2009) lack of treatment to cure the disease will lead to a patient’s uncertainty on how the illness will present itself in the future. Thus, patients must face the unknown factors of their disease progression and manage life with their chronic illness. In Chronic Hepatitis C, tracking of outcomes and progressions are difficult, and disease trajectory varies from person to person (Baily, et al 2009). In addition, uncertainty stems from lack of knowledge of the disease, loss of control, and expectations of possible relapse of symptoms in the future.

If someone is getting tested for Hepatitis C, they will first take an antibody test. This test will detect if antibodies are present in the blood, which will tell if the person has ever had Hepatitis C, not if they currently possess it (“Who Should”). If the antibody test comes back positive, a qualitative test will then be run. This test declares tells if someone is currently infected with Hepatitis C. A quantitative test can also be run, which shows the amount of Hepatitis C that is in the blood (“Who Should”). There are two main medications that are used to treat Hepatitis C. The first being Pegylated Interferon and another being Ribavirin. Both medications are used for the treatment of adult patients with chronic liver disease (FDA). These medications are used in place of the vaccine that has not been created for Hepatitis C. Therefore, Hepatitis C can be detected easily and is treatable.

Treatment is available for Hepatitis C. The common course of treatment includes antiviral medication along with Peginterferon in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Promoting a healthy lifestyle is also essential including taking medication daily, getting adequate sleep, proper hydration and eliminating alcohol, drugs or other toxic

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.

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 acts 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 was initially named non-A, non-B hepatitis because the virus was identified through numerous blood tests in the 1960s and 1970s (“Hepatitis C History”). The virus was given the name hepatitis C in the 1980s when the Center for Disease Control was able to identify the virus (“Hepatitis C FAQ”). It was identified that the virus enters the human body by entering through blood or bodily fluids and nestles in its permanent home of the liver. This virus is a highly infectious bloodborne pathogen that can cause cirrhosis of the liver and in some cases turn into liver cancer. At this time, there is no cure once the virus has been transmitted. Even though the transmission rate is low, the first step in attacking the virus is to educate people on

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

Detection of Hepatitis C virus is typically done using Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect hepatitis C antibody; or Hepatitis C RNA assays are used to determine the viral load. Genetic testing is then done to check for the type of Hep C infection, which can be of six types (genotypes 1 through 6). In the US, baby boomers (born 1945-1965) are encouraged to get tested, as they may be treated with antiviral drugs to prevent progression to cancer [12].

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

Riboflavin along with two new protease inhibitors have been found to treat well. Acute infection can clear on its own without treatment in about 25% of people. If acute hepatitis C is diagnosed, treatment does reduce the risk that acute hepatitis C will become a chronic infection. Acute hepatitis C is treated with the same medications used to treat chronic Hepatitis C. However, the optimal treatment and when it should be started remains

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.

Hepatitis Epidemic has heightened globally affecting thousands of individuals in multitudes. There are 1,700 to 2,800 cases of hepatitis, alone, in the USA each year. Hepatitis could be a chronic disease which is determined by its type. Liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis or liver cancer are the verdict of the disease; however, the main root of the virus is primarily the environmental and lifestyle factors leading it to spread in considerably high rate, especially in third-world countries. Due to environmental factors, personal lifestyle choices, social roles, and lack of education concerning health issues, the virus is stretching out the maps of many regions in the world.

As far as 2011, the combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin for 48 weeks was the effective treatment for chronic hepatitis C, but Several HCV