Essay about Hepatitis C : The Silent Epidemic

There are two different main types of diagnostic testing that can be done to determine if the Hepatitis C virus is present in your body. The Hepatitis C Antibody test is a screening test ordered by your physician that will show if you have ever been exposed to the virus in your lifetime. This test detects antibodies that your body would have formed in order to fight off the Hepatitis C virus.

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

Hepatitis C has become a chronic infection. This is when the person becomes aware of the infection themselves due to a routine doctor 's appointment that results in elevated liver function tests. A primary care physician would then go on to order further testing to confirm the suspected diagnosis. Diagnostic testing such as an abdominal ultrasound and liver biopsy would be expected for confirmation of diagnosis.

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.

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.

Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the virus called Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Hepatitis C can be acute and chronic, it is an asymptomatic disease, but a chronic infection can be life threatening and cause serious health complications in the future and eventually death. Many are unaware of this infection; the life threatening health risk involves liver damage, end- stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma and even death. It 's been estimated that in the United States 2.7 million people are infected with chronic HCV, whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 3.2 million (Ditah, 2010). The infected population are primarily in their fifties and sixties, born between 1945 and 1965. One attributable cause is believed to be the transmission of the contaminated blood through organ transplants and drug injections. It is expected that compensated cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) will increase by over 80 percent from the year 2000 to the year 2020. Over the same period, it is estimated that decompensated cirrhosis would increase over 100 percent and that liver-related deaths would increase by 181 percent (Davis GL, Albright JE, 2003).

The risk of a pregnant woman passing the hepatitis C virus to her unborn child has been related to the levels of quantitative RNA levels in her blood, and also whether she is also HIV positive. There are approximately six out of 100 infants that have been born to mothers that are infected with the hepatitis C virus which means the infant is also infected at birth. Fortunately, most infants that are infected with hepatitis C at birth show no signs of the virus nor are there symptoms and do well during childhood. The risk of transmission is greater if the mother is HIV positive, but the chances decrease if the mother has not been diagnosed with HIV and if she has no history of intravenous drug use or blood transfusions. If the mother is HIV positive, there is a seven to eight percent chance the hepatitis C virus will transmit to the offspring. Perinatal transmission is now the leading cause of hepatitis C transmission in developed countries. There is a 25 to 50 percent chance of spontaneous clearance and delayed morbidity results in HCV being overlooked in pregnant women and their infants (“Hepatitis C FAQ”). There is not enough research that can determine the effects of the hepatitis C virus on children that have been affected into adulthood. There are some infants that are born with an antibody which they may lose by the time they are 18 months old, so it is important to test for the hepatitis C virus once the infant reaches 18 months old. Some medical

C Antibody Test. This test helps to look for antibodies to the Hepatitis C virus. Antibodies are

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can be caused by several different viruses. It can also be acute or chronic, depending on the particular virus and stage of the disease. The different types of hepatitis are hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis B- associated delta (HDV), hepatitis C (HCV) (Porth 2005). These viruses are capable of being transmitted in many different ways but each one will instigate a viral response and inflammation within the liver itself. HAV presents as an acute infection and does not become chronic (CDC 2011). HBV and HCV may begin as acute infections, but can remain in the body and result in a long-term chronic illness (CDC).

A medical care practitioner is able to diagnose the strain of these three hepatitis by using imaging studies like CAT scan or sonograms. Blood test and liver biopsy. Many people shows no symptoms during diagnosis of viral hepatitis, which is often called as a silent disease.

The word hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and viruses which infect the liver are called hepatitis viruses. Hepatitis C was first distinguished in 1975, after Hepatitis A and B had already been recognized (Bukh, 2016). It was noted that the majority of patients receiving transfusions as treatment for hepatitis were non-A non-B positive. The first isolated molecular clone of HCV was produced in 1989, confirming that it was a completely different virus than hepatitis A or B (Houghton, 2009). All three of these types of hepatitis can cause acute infections of the liver, but Hepatitis C is the

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.

To diagnose hepatitis C, a blood test that searches for hepatitis C antibodies can determine whether someone has caught the virus. A follow up blood test can be taken to confirm if the virus is really there. Once a person is diagnosed with hepatitis C, more blood tests are taken in order to check that the liver is functioning correctly. Lastly, a liver biopsy may be recommended by the doctor or physician in order to check for liver

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. There are currently five known viruses that cause can hepatitis (Microbiology, 10e). The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person; however, it is now more commonly spread among IV drug users that share needles. Healthcare workers are also at risk for contracting HCV, but with standard precautions, the risk is low. “Prior to 1992, some people acquired the HCV infection from transfusions of blood or blood products. Since 1992, all blood products have been screened for HCV, and cases of HCV due to blood transfusion now are extremely rare. HCV can be passed from mother to unborn child. Approximately 4 out of every 100 infants born to HCV-positive mothers

Today, the incidence of obtaining this virus by receiving a blood transfusion is approximately 1 in 200,000 units of blood donors. In essence, the likelihood of contacting HCV from blood transfusion has been minuscule since 1992. The reason that this small risk still exists is that when a person initially becomes infected with HCV for a short period of time, known as the window period, the HCV antibody is not detectable in the blood. If this person donates blood during the window period, her blood will carry HCV, but it will not be detectable. Dr..Palmer recommends anyone who received a blood transfusion prior to 1992 be tested for HCV.