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Get that Hepatitis C blood test done

Doctors say the virus can be effectively controlled

Battling Hepatitis C for 16 years, Pamela Anderson recently revealed how she had to look confident outside but battled with a dark cloud that lingered inside her for a long time. In 2002, Anderson was diagnosed with Hepatitis C which came as a death sentence for her. Battling with the disease since then, the doctors have now prescribed her with a new FDA-approved drug that promises to eradicate the virus.

This has given her new hope and she says, “I could be free from Hepatitis C within a month.” Closely monitored by doctors for the past few years, she feels “blessed” that there has been no damage to her liver but there have been some problems from time to time that were successfully overcome with appropriate medication.

What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects humans and can damage the liver causing cirrhosis of liver and liver cancer. Hepatitis C is prevalent in at least 1 per cent of the population in India, more in the Northeastern states and few areas even in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The high risk population includes IV drug users, patients who undergo dialysis, use of unsterilised needles for blood transfusions etc. Hepatitis C can now be easily diagnosed by a blood test — Anti-HCV.

Early symptoms
1) Fatigue
2) Loss of appetite
3) Low-grade fever
4) Tenderness in the upper right abdomen
5) Malaise (a feeling of discomfort)
6) Sore joints and muscles
7) Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

Three basics of hygiene, food and safety needed
Good hygiene, proper food preparation and safe sex are important steps to avoid contracting the virus.
Hepatitis C progresses very slowly and the symptoms are not very direct.
Often, people are unaware of their infection and due to this, they unknowingly become carriers and spread the virus.

Do not drink alcohol. Do not use over-the-counter medicines like herbals and supplements. Even birth control pills should be used by an infected person only after a proper check-up and advice from the doctor. Active life has to be limited for a hepatitis C patient who has to take a lot of rest, sleep and relaxation so that the body is able to fight the virus. — Dr Vidya Sagar, consultant gastroenterologist at Care Hospitals

Blood test: The accurate way to diagnose
Hepatitis C can spread via contact with infected blood. Injection drug abuse was found to be one of the major causes in the recent past. Some patients who are on dialysis are also found to suffer from it. If diagnosed early, it can be cured with medications and long-term complications can be avoided. The treatment is finite, from 12 weeks to 24 weeks.” —Dr K.S. Soma Sekhar Rao Hepatologist and endoscopist at Apollo Hospitals

A few statistics to show how the disease affects the world:
4 to 12 weeks: Symptoms show up.
20 -30% People develop initial symptoms.
75% Develop chronic infections
17,000 new HCV infections every year in the West

Later symptoms
1. Jaundice: Abnormally yellow skin and eyes caused by elevated bilirubin (a product of the breakdown of red blood cells in the blood)
2. Darkened urine: light-colored or gray stool.

However, many other conditions can cause similar symptoms, including food-borne illnesses, auto-immune disorders, viral or bacterial infections, and reactions to medications or toxins. For that reason, the blood test for Hepatitis C is important to confirm presence.

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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