Testing Positive For Hepatitis C

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).

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.

KV is a patient who was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C. She is a 27 year old, English speaking, Caucasian female who grew up and still lives in Minnesota. KV is a bartender and nursing student who loves anything outdoors, cooking, gardening, and being with family and friends. KV contracted this disease from her previous partner and is now single. She has plans of marrying and having kids someday in the future. She has a support base consisting of her family and friends. KV’s parents and family are very involved in all aspects of her life and have supported her through this diagnosis. KV has shown an interest and readiness to learn, which she does best, hands-on. Being a college student, KV is cognitive about her situation and has the capability to understand what is happening to her body and the material that I will teach her.

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).

Hepatitis C is a blood transmitted virus that has been know for substandard therapies/ drug treatments. When Mr. Parish commented that currently, there is no absolute cure to HCV, my mind immediately shifted to “cancer”. People often think of cancer as the most severe illness someone can get, because there is no cure. However, we forget that in actuality, there are numerous

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.

Ward, J. W., Valdiserri, R. O., & Koh, H. K. (2012). Hepatitus C Virus Prevention, Care, and Treatment:

The Hepatitis C virus is transmitted primarily through blood contact with an infected carrier and is the most common chronic blood borne infection. This can occur through needle sticks, sharing of syringes, tattoos or body piercing with unsterilized equipment, blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992, receiving blood product for clotting, having multiple sexual partners and unprotected intercourse with an infected carrier. Other modes of transmission include being born to a mother with Hepatitis C or being a long-term dialysis patient. Risks that were once a concern such as blood transfusions and organ donation are a rare risk now due to strict blood screen testing that has been performed for at least the last decade if not longer.

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).

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), the most common blood-borne pathogen known to man, can last a lifetime and lead to serious liver problems, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, and ultimately death. It is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation in the United States. The largest and most significant risk factor for the virus is misuse of IV drugs. Approximately 19,000 people die every year from Hepatitis C related liver disease. The impact of undiagnosed and untreated HCV is expected to increase dramatically over the next 40 to 50 years with 1.76 million persons developing cirrhosis, 400,000 developing HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma), and 1 million persons dying from HCV-associated complications.

Hepatitis is a complicated illness that affects many people throughout the world. Since its discovery, we have come to identify that hepatitis comes in various forms. Most people have a deeper awareness of the Hepatitis A or B disease because we have been educated throughout the years of its effects on the human body. There is another hepatitis virus called Hepatitis C which is a relatively new disease that many people are unfamiliar with. This disease is highly infectious if the proper precautions are not taken to prevent transmission. Exposure to blood is a commonality in the health care profession. Health care professionals could include emergency response, public safety workers, dental workers, and other professions that work closely

Hepatitis C is a disease which occurs in the liver that might occur only for a short time or it could be there as long as your lifetime. It usually comes from the Hepatitis C Virus, which occurs due to having a contact with an infected person’s blood.

Did you realize when you wrote your post, that May is Hepatitis Awareness Month and that May 19 is National Hepatitis Testing Day? Testing is important because so many people have the disease and don’t’ even know it. Evidently, people born between 1945 and 1965 are in a high risk category along with Asians and Pacific Islanders. Rates of Hepatitis C were very high in the late 1970’s and early 80’s. Blood supply screening and universal precautions did not begin until 1992. Once blood supply screening was initiated Hepatitis C was eliminated from the blood supply. The Viral Load is a test administered to see how much of a specific virus is present in an individual. The test will detect how much of the virus is

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.