Hepatitis
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. The virus can cause infections, whether chronic acute hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild disease lasting a few weeks to a lifelong and serious disease, and a hepatitis C virus is a transmissible virus The most common means of infection are through unsafe injection practices or non-sterilization of medical equipment in some health care facilities;
How to Transfer Hepatitis
Hepatitis C virus is a blood-transmitted virus; it is often transmitted by:
- Injecting drug abuse through the sharing of injection equipment.
- In health care facilities due to reuse or inadequate sterilization of medical equipment, especially syringes and needles.
- In some countries, C virus is transmitted by blood transfusion.
- It can also be transmitted through sexual contact HCV, and can be transmitted from the infected mother to her child, but these conditions are less common.
important note :
Hepatitis C is not spread by food or water or by casual contact such as hugging, sharing food or drink with an infected person.
Symptoms
The incubation period for hepatitis C virus is 2 weeks to 6 months; after the initial infection, approximately 80% of people do not show any symptoms, those who may have symptoms may show symptoms of fever, fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, pain Abdominal pain, dark urine, feces in gray, joint pain and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and white eyes).
Examination and diagnosis
This is due to the fact that the acute hepatitis virus is usually without symptoms, and the early diagnosis of HCV infection is rare. Most people will suffer from the development of the chronic hepatitis virus because the health status remains undiagnosed, Dangerous.
The hepatitis virus is diagnosed in the following steps:
- Detection of antibodies to the virus (C) with a serological test identifies people who have been infected with the virus.
- If the test is positive for HIV (HCV), a DNA test for HCV RNA is needed to confirm the infection of the hepatitis C virus, about 15-45% of people infected with HCV virus will spontaneously clear the infection by a strong immune response without the need for treatment.
- After a person has been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C infection, there should be an assessment of the degree of liver damage (cirrhosis and liver cirrhosis), and this can be done by liver biopsy or through a variety of non-invasive tests.
Note :
Individuals should be diagnosed by laboratory testing to determine the genetic pattern of hepatitis C. There are 6 genetic patterns of C virus and they respond differently to treatment. The sooner the diagnosis was the better. The later the diagnosis, the less the response to treatment Liver in the most dangerous condition.