|
Click here to bookmark this website to your favorites.
Comprehensive
protocol for HCV: including diet, lifestyle, and therapeutic
interventions.
Hepatitis
A Can Be Deadly For People with Hepatitis C --
Tuberculosis -- The Importance of Hand Washing..
>
Learn
About HCV Infection
--
(Slide Show) This is a great slide show. It
might take a few seconds to load at first--but it is worth it.
(Click on each page and it will take you
to the next slide. (This
slide show requires Microsoft Office--Power Point.)
>
Interactive
HCV Lifecycle
-- This is the sequence of the biological events explaining how the
virus enters a liver cell. (Flash
plug-in needed)
FAQ's
Quick, Easy, and Condensed Version. (Click your back button
or a TOP button to return to Top of page.)
Questions &
Answers
Management
and Treatment of HCV
MedicineNet
Got More Questions
Click Here For All the Answers
For addition information on HCV current disease management--click here for the NIDDK website
MMWR
Recommendations for Prevention and Control of
Hepatitis C Virus
(HCV) Infection and HCV-Related Chronic Disease Adobe
Acrobat Format
What
is hepatitis?
Hepatitis
is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by
a group of viruses.
How
many types are there?
There are five major types of viral
hepatitis:
Hepatitis
A (HAV)
Hepatitis B (HBV)
Hepatitis C (HCV)
Hepatitis D (HDV)
Hepatitis E (HEV)
What
is hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis
C virus (HCV), which is found in the blood of persons
who have this disease. The infection is spread by
contact with the blood of an infected person.
How serious is
hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is serious for some persons, but not for
others. Most persons who get hepatitis C carry the
virus for the rest of their lives. Most of these
persons have some liver damage but many do not feel
sick from the disease. Some persons with liver damage
due to hepatitis C may develop cirrhosis (scarring) of
the liver and liver failure which may take many years
to develop. Others have no long term effects.
What
can I do now that my hepatitis C test is positive?
Contact your doctor. Additional tests may be needed to
check your diagnosis and to see if you have liver
damage.
What
if I don't feel sick? Many persons with long-term hepatitis C have no
symptoms and feel well, but should still see their
doctor. For some persons, the most common symptom is
extreme tiredness.
How
can I take care of my liver?
Is
there a treatment for hepatitis C?
Drugs
are licensed for the treatment of persons with long-term hepatitis
C. About 2-3 out of every 10 patients who are treated get rid of the
virus. You should check with your doctor to see if treatment may
help you.
How
could I have gotten hepatitis C?
HCV
is spread primarily by exposure to human blood. You
may have gotten hepatitis C if:
- you
ever injected street drugs, even if you
experimented one time (ever).
- you
were treated for clotting problems with a blood
product made before 1987.
- you
received a blood transfusion or solid organ
transplant (e.g., kidney, liver, heart) from an
infected donor.
- you
were ever on long-term kidney dialysis.
- you
were ever a health care worker and had frequent
contact with blood in the work place, especially
accidental needlesticks.
- your
mother had hepatitis C at the time she gave birth
to you.
- you
ever had sex with a person infected with HCV.
- you
lived with someone who was infected with HCV and
shared items such as razors or toothbrushes that
might have had blood on them.
How
can I prevent spreading HCV to others?
- Do
not donate your blood, body organs, other tissue,
or sperm.
- Do
not share toothbrushes, razors, or other personal
care articles that might have your blood on them.
- Cover
your cuts and open sores.
- If
you have one long-term, steady sex partner, there
is a very low chance of giving HCV to that partner
and you do not need to change your sexual
practices. If you want to lower the small chance
of spreading HCV to your sex partner, you may
decide to use latex condoms. Ask your doctor about
having your sex partner tested.
What
if I am pregnant? Five out of every 100 infants born to HCV infected
women become infected. This occurs at the time of
birth, and there is no treatment that can prevent this
from happening. However, infants infected with HCV at
the time of birth seem to do very well in the first
few years of life. More studies are needed to find out
if these infants will have problems from the infection
as they grow older.
|
Persons
should not be excluded from work, school,
play, child-care or other settings on the
basis of their HCV infection status. |
Hepatitis
C is NOT spread by:
- breast
feeding
- sneezing
- hugging
- coughing
- sharing
eating utensils or drinking glasses
- food
or water
- casual
contact
If
you use or inject street drugs:
- Stop
and get into a drug treatment program.
- If
you cannot stop, do not reuse or share syringes,
water, or drug works.
- Get
vaccinated against hepatitis B and hepatitis A.
If
you are having sex, but not with one steady partner:
- You
and your partners can get diseases spread by
having sex (e.g., AIDS, hepatitis B, gonorrhea or
chlamydia). Use latex condoms correctly and every
time. The surest way to prevent the spread of any
disease by sex is not to have sex at all.
- Get
vaccinated against hepatitis B.
What are the long term
effects of HCV?
(These
statistics do not reflect current medical advancements. It is
getting better!!!)
What
are the chances of persons with HCV infection developing long term
infection, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, or dying
as a result of hepatitis C?
Of every 100 persons infected with HCV about:
- 85
persons may develop long-term infection.
- 70
persons may develop chronic liver disease.
- 15
persons may develop cirrhosis over a period of 20 to 30 years.
- 5
persons may die from the consequences of long term infection
(liver cancer or cirrhosis).
Management and Treatment of HCV
When might a
specialist (gastroenterologist or hepatologist) be consulted in the
management of HCV-infected persons?
A referral to or consultation with a specialist for further
evaluation and possible treatment may be considered if a person is
anti-HCV positive and has elevated liver enzyme levels. Any
physician who manages a person with hepatitis C should be
knowledgeable and current on all aspects of the care of a person
with hepatitis C.
What
is the treatment for chronic hepatitis C?
Antiviral drugs such as interferon used alone or in combination with
ribavirin, are approved for the treatment of persons with chronic
hepatitis C. Interferon works in 10 to 20 persons out of 100
treated. Interferon combined with ribavirin works (on the viral
strain that is mostly found in the U.S.) in about 30-40 persons out
of 100. Ribavirin, when used alone, does not work.
What
are the side effects of interferon therapy?
Most persons have flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, headache,
muscle and joint aches, fast heart rate) early in treatment, but
these lessen with continued treatment. Later side effects may
include tiredness, hair loss, low blood count, trouble with
thinking, moodiness, and depression. Severe side effects are rare
(seen in less than 2 out of 100 persons). These include thyroid
disease, depression with suicidal thoughts, seizures, acute heart or
kidney failure, eye and lung problems, hearing loss, and blood
infection. Although rare, deaths have occurred due to liver failure
or blood infection, mostly in persons with cirrhosis. An important
side effect of interferon is worsening of liver disease with
treatment, which can be severe and even fatal. Interferon dosage
must be reduced in up to 40 out of 100 persons because of severity
of side effects, and treatment must be stopped in up to 15 out of
100 persons. Pregnant women should not be treated with interferon.
What
are the side effects of combination (ribavirin + interferon)
treatment?
In addition to the side effects due to interferon described above,
ribavirin can cause serious anemia (low red blood cell count) and
can be a serious problem for persons with conditions that cause
anemia, such as kidney failure. In these persons, combination
therapy should be avoided or attempts should be made to correct the
anemia. Anemia caused by ribavirin can be life-threatening for
persons with certain types of heart or blood vessel disease.
Ribavirin causes birth defects and pregnancy should be avoided
during treatment. Patients and their healthcare providers should
carefully review the product manufacturer information prior to
treatment.
Can
anything be done to reduce symptoms or side effects due to antiviral
treatment?
You should report what you are feeling to your doctor. Some side
effects may be reduced by giving interferon at night or lowering the
dosage of the drug. In addition, flu-like symptoms can be reduced by
taking acetaminophen before treatment.
Can
children receive interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C?
Antiviral drugs are not licensed for persons under 18 years
of age. Children with hepatitis C should be referred to a children's
specialist in liver diseases. You may want to ask your doctor about
clinical trials that may be on-going for children.
What does the term
genotype mean?
Genotype refers to the genetic make-up of an organism or a virus.
There are at least 6 distinct HCV genotypes identified. Genotype 1
is the most common genotype seen in the United States.
Is
it necessary to do genotyping when managing a person with chronic
hepatitis C?
Yes, as there are 6 known genotypes and more than 50 subtypes of
HCV, and genotype information is helpful in defining the
epidemiology of hepatitis C. Knowing the genotype or serotype
(genotype-specific antibodies) of HCV is helpful in making
recommendations and counseling regarding therapy. Patients with
genotypes 2 and 3 are almost three times more likely than patients
with genotype 1 to respond to therapy with alpha interferon or the
combination of alpha interferon and ribavirin. Furthermore, when
using combination therapy, the recommended duration of treatment
depends on the genotype. For patients with genotypes 2 and 3, a
24-week course of combination treatment is adequate, whereas for
patients with genotype 1, a 48-week course is recommended. For these
reasons, testing for HCV genotype is often clinically helpful. Once
the genotype is identified, it need not be tested again; genotypes
do not change during the course of infection.
Why
do most persons remain infected?
Persons infected with HCV mount an antibody response to parts of the
virus, but changes in the virus during infection result in changes
that are not recognized by preexisting antibodies. This appears to
be how the virus establishes and maintains long-lasting infection.
Can
persons become infected with different genotypes?
Yes. Because of the ineffective immune response described above,
prior infection does not protect against re-infection with the same
or different genotypes of the virus. For the same reason, there is
no effective pre- or post exposure prophylaxis (i.e, immune globulin)
available.
|
At this time--there is not a vaccine available
to prevent hepatitis C
A
person who has hepatitis C can still get
other types of viral hepatitis, such as hepatitis A or hepatitis B.
|
- disclaimer
-
|
HCV
Positive Attitudes
