Hepatitis C Lab Report

There are 5 variants of viral hepatitis from hepatitis A through to hepatitis E and these are caused by different viruses (Neighbours and Jones, 2010). In the initial stages of contracting viral hepatitis there is a possibility of being asymptomatic or there can be some non-specific and specific symptoms. Non-specific symptoms in a client could be anorexia, malaise, feelings of nausea and sometimes vomiting, a new dislike of the taste of cigarettes, myalgia (muscle pains), abdominal pains and fever. These non-specific symptoms can lead to a misdiagnosis such as influenza because they are quite general. Hepatitis is suspected when specific symptoms develop such as right upper quadrant

The other kind of test is called the Hepatitis C RNA Qualitative test. This test determines if the virus is currently present in your body. This is the test that is used most often to detect the virus. A positive test result indicates that you have Hepatitis C. A negative result will indicate that the virus is undetected. This could mean that even though your body may have been exposed to the virus it was able to fight the disease

A recombinant-based assay for the hepatitis C virus HCV has been developed, using RNA isolate from the hepatitis C virus.

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.

Hayley is a 24yo, G1 P0, who was seen for a consultation due to hepatitis C. The patient does have a prior history of substance usage but states that she has been clean throughout the entire pregnancy. She does periodically use Goody powders prn and she was told to discontinue this. She also has issues with depression and anxiety and is on Zoloft 50 mg daily. She believes that a viral load was drawn but in looking at the labwork I do not have those results currently. Her hepatitis C antibody test was positive. Overall, she denies any complaints with the pregnancy to date.

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.

Cirrhosis of the Liver can be detected in a few ways. One way is testing. A physical exam, blood tests and some other tests can help doctor’s detect and diagnose this disease (Digestive Disorders Health Center Cirrhosis of the Liver, 2008). In a physical exam a doctor can feel any changes in the shape of the liver, how it feels and how large it is (Digestive Disorders Health Center Cirrhosis of the Liver, 2008). Blood tests can prove whether or not a person has Cirrhosis of the Liver. Other tests include taking pictures of the liver (CT Scan) or an ultrasound (Digestive Disorders Health Center Cirrhosis of the Liver, 2008). Other ways that it can be detected are by a biopsy or

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).

About 4.1 million people in Americans have the positive antibody for hepatitis C virus (HCV), and about 75% of them are persistently infected and most of the infections happened d 20 to 40 years ago, before the finding of HCV. Hepatitis C increased from 7,000 to 13,000 deaths in 2005. Furthermore, HCV develops slowly which increases the risk for severe complications in the infected people. Identification, death, and treatment is predicted to affect 35,000 by 2030. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) used antiviral therapy with PEGylated in clinical trials. The CDC recommends a HVC one time test for people born between 1945 and 1965.They observed testing by birth. The objective of this study was to thoroughly evaluate the amount of substance abuser infected with hepatitis C in the United States. Additional to observe the treatment of HVC. Currently Medicaid and Medicare repayment standards for sofosbuvir were calculated in all states including the District of Columbia. Medicaid and Medicare covered the drug based on the following classes liver disease stage, HIV, and drug use. Approximately 42 states reimbursed the following criteria up to 74% for the drug sofobuvir. About two thirds of the United States restricted the treatment centered on prescriber type. About 88% included drug abuse in their sofosbuvir admissibility measures. Finally 50% required a dated of abstinence and 64% required drug test. The latest drug to HVC is called Sovaldi and it costs $84,000 for the 12

Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by a virus. It was discovered about twenty-eight years ago. The liver is very essential to life because it has many important functions in our bodies. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. Hepatitis C is not a virus that you can visibly see unless you run a blood test and discover it in the blood. Hepatitis C is contagious but it is treatable and is considered cured if the virus is no longer detectable in your blood. Considering that some of the Hepatitis C symptoms are similar to other viral symptoms, the doctor has to diagnose the patient to officially confirm the virus. Hepatitis C is easily spread and is most common in teenagers and adults. The most common ways to spread Hepatitis C is

Awareness of risk factors of hepatitis C helps the NPs to recognize at risk patients, who should be screened for viruses and referred to treatment based on the specific criteria (Olson & Jacobson, 2011). The NPs should become the specialist referral resource and a center point of information support. This role assists in reducing the number of the patients seeking treatment in the acute care setting.

In this study, we did the first validation for Hepa-Index (a relatively new biomarkers panel for assessment of hepatic fibrosis) against liver biopsy in chronic hepatitis C. Hepa-Index showed good sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, for predicting significant hepatic fibrosis, severe hepatic fibrosis, and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis C patients. Hepa-Index performance is almost equal to the performance of different patented and non-patented noninvasive panels for assessment of hepatic fibrosis (FibroTest, FibroMeters, HepaScore, and APRI) which is reported to have an AUROCs ranging from 0.72 to 0.78 for detection of significant fibrosis and 0.77 to 0.86 for detection of cirrhosis [20]. Hepa-Index as a serum biomarker panel carry the advantages of patented and expensive serum fibrosis biomarkers in addition to being free of charge and accurate in classifying significant hepatic fibrosis, advanced hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. One more advantage of Hepa-Index over currently available tests like APRI, FIB-4, Forns index, FibroTest and FibroMeter is absence of transaminases (ALT and AST) in its formula which may lead to false positive results in acute

Globally, an estimated 150 million people have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is the major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer and one of the most common indications for liver transplantation (Simmonds, 2004).There is serious concern about the growing problem of the HIV and HCV prevalence in Africa, where the major route of transmission of HIV is through the sexual route. Co-infection with HCV and HIV is common due to shared routes of transmission – via blood and blood products and sharing of needles for injecting drugs. About 40 million people are estimated to be infected with HIV worldwide of which approximately 4-5 million are co-infected with HCV (Alter, 2006). Co-infection with HIV and HCV are common due to shared routes of transmission, however, there are differences in the ways that these viruses are transmitted in the developed and developing countries (Ocama and Seremba, 2011).

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that primarily affects the liver, caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

HCV-RNA levels were analyzed by real time polymerase chain reaction using a commercial kit (Bioer, Technology Co., Ltd) according to the manufacturer's instructions.