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Hepatitis C can be life threatening if it persists for many years. One of the fatal aspects of Hepatitis C is it is hard to recognize the symptom of the disease initially. The virus Hepatitis C which causes the disease remains in the liver and causes widespread damage to the liver. In extreme cases, there are chances that the infected person may have to undergo a liver transplant.
The most dreadful fact about Hepatitis C is that no vaccination has been developed yet. The scientists have not found any prevention vaccination, which is why it is all the more necessary to take precautions in order to not get infected with Hepatitis C.
A person gets infected with Hepatitis C as a result of blood to blood contact. Though, there are no vaccinations, there are treatments which can be put into effect to help get rid of the disease.
Signs and symptoms
There are two form of Hepatitis C infection in humans. A person begins to develop an acute form of the disease, and then if the disease progresses beyond a point, it can get into a chronic form of Hepatitis C.
Here are the symptoms for the acute form of hepatitis C.
The acute form of Hepatitis C normally lasts for six months. It is hard to detect any symptoms for those infected with the acute form of Hepatitis C as the majority of the people do not show any related symptoms. However, there are a select few who do show symptoms of Hepatitis C. The symptoms include flu, jaundice and abdominal pain. There are many infected people who also get tired very easily. These are a few symptoms in the initial stages of Hepatitis C infection.
If PCR tests are done with patients of Hepatitis C during the first month of infection, it is highly likely that the Hepatitis C infection would be seen from the tests.
Here are the symptoms for the chronic form of Hepatitis C.
If the acute form of Hepatitis C continues for more than six months, then the disease transforms to a chronic one. Though there are general symptoms associated with the chronic form of Hepatitis C, the major symptom of the chronic form of Hepatitis C is liver inflammation. There are many general symptoms such as fever, fatigue, joint pain and nausea. Some infected people also show symptoms of itching and depression.
However, these are general symptoms and if you want to ascertain the chronic form of Hepatitis C, you need to undergo tests for confirming the existence of the disease. A liver biopsy is the best test for ascertaining whether the person had been infected with Hepatitis C.
There are few noted signs when Hepatitis C progresses to cirrhosis. You will find the fluid accumulates in the abdomen of the infected person, the veins will become swollen and the existence of jaundice is also highly likely.
Tests needed to determine the existence of Hepatitis C
A liver biopsy is the best test to determine Hepatitis C is the initial stages of chronic ailment in infected people. There are also other tests such as ultrasound or CT scans, yet these tests only catch Hepatitis C when the disease has reached the advanced stages.
There are two other tests which have been gaining popularity in Europe and the US, a Fibro Test, and an Acti Test, these are the two tests which can catch the disease early.
Is treatment for Hepatitis C necessary?
A person infected with Hepatitis C will require treatment. There is no spontaneous recovery in individuals once the disease has reached chronic form. Hepatitis C patients do not respond to any kind of therapy. The medical form of treatment for Hepatitis C has been highly successful with patients and it is considered as the only form of treatment for those who are suffering from a chronic form of Hepatitis C.
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