For a person, the most important question in his life always remains relevant - how to maintain his he alth and live long. This is not surprising, because the physical and mental state of our body determines our appearance, image and quality of life. That is why people are increasingly interested in effective methods to improve their he alth, as well as incurable or incurable diseases. In this article, we will talk about a very insidious and, unfortunately, quite common disease - hepatitis C, as well as how it is transmitted and how long people live with hepatitis C, consider methods for its treatment and prevention.
At a Glance
The causative agents of hepatitis are viruses A, B, C, D and E. The most dangerous varieties of this disease are hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The latter type has a detrimental effect on the liver. The disease is transmitted in different ways: by airborne droplets, through household contact, and so on. In particular, the hepatitis C virus is able to enter the human body through blood and through sexual contact. It is for this reason that people who often come into contact with blood (doctors, drug addicts), as well as those who lead an uncontrolled sex life automatically fall into the risk group.
Statistics
Today, hepatitis C is not without reason considered a disease of the XXI century. According to statistics, more than 500 million people worldwide are carriers of this infectious disease. According to scientists, this figure will grow steadily over the course of a decade. Unique is the fact that only 7% of those infected die as a result of this particular disease. Basically, the cause of death of many patients is an inappropriate lifestyle and other concomitant diseases, such as obesity or diabetes.
It is impossible to say unequivocally how many live with hepatitis C, because it depends on many factors. Let's take a look at them below.
Symptoms of disease
Hepatitis C is popularly referred to as the "gentle killer", which sounds very intimidating. Why exactly this name? All the insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that in the early stages of infection, it does not manifest itself in any way. During the incubation period, which can last from one week to several years, there may be increased fatigue, lethargy, weakness, dizziness, fever, joint pain, and gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea, acute pain in the intestines. Much less often, such signs are accompanied by yellowing of the skin and eyeballs. It is worth paying special attention to the presence of the latter symptoms, oftenthey are the indicators of the disease.
But even with these signs, the whole problem is that doctors mistakenly attribute them to completely different diseases. So, the disease develops and can be diagnosed only in the later stages of infection, when the internal organs of a person are already affected.
Possibility of timely detection of the virus and self-healing
In the conditions of modern medicine, it is still possible to diagnose hepatitis C in its initial, acute form. To do this, it is necessary to make a detailed analysis for the amount of certain antibodies in the blood that fight the virus. But this happens very rarely, so in most cases this infection becomes chronic.
However, our body immediately recognizes such harmful cells and begins an active fight against them. If a person has a strong immune system, then self-healing from hepatitis C is possible. This happens in 30% of cases of infection with this virus. However, it should be noted that the modern way and pace of life often weakens the protective functions of the body. Therefore, in most cases, hepatitis C settles in the human body for many years, most often without showing any symptoms.
Consequences of hepatitis C
As mentioned above, hepatitis C primarily affects the liver cells. The chronic form of this disease can lead to serious complications such as steatosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Consider these dire consequences morein detail.
- Steatosis - with this development, excess fat accumulates in the liver cells.
- Fibrosis - numerous scars form in the tissues of the liver.
Two of these diseases are amenable to pharmacological treatment.
Cirrhosis is the most dangerous consequence of hepatitis C and its most extreme degree. This is a pathology in which the structure of the liver is modified, abnormal hepatic nodes and lobules are formed, the liver loses its original functions. The period of development of cirrhosis can last for 20-25 years. Symptoms of such a serious disease are yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, rather dark urine, discolored feces
With the development of cirrhosis, the following consequences may occur:
- Spontaneous bleeding - blood clotting in patients with cirrhosis is very reduced, so any, even the smallest wound, is very dangerous. In this case, a large loss of blood is possible, because it is very difficult to stop it.
- Drying out of the liver - its size is significantly reduced
- Liver failure - its development leads to hepatic coma, in other words, poisoning the body with toxic substances such as phenol and ammonia.
- Encephalopathy - brain poisoning with toxins, as the liver can no longer cope with filtering and destroying harmful substances
- Ascites is the accumulation of excess fluid in the abdominal cavity
The brutal statistics report that, in general, cirrhosis of the liver leads to death. Howeversuch an extremely sad fate can be avoided by following some simple but strict rules and adhering to the recommendations of doctors.
How long people with hepatitis C live
Here everything depends on the consciousness of the patient himself. After all, first of all, the treatment of such a disease is a strict and measured daily routine in which the patient follows a certain diet with many prohibitions and restrictions, and also leads an active lifestyle. The basic rule of those infected with hepatitis C is the absolute rejection of all existing types of alcohol. It is a determining factor in how many years they live with hepatitis C. After all, this disease affects the liver cells, and alcohol puts a big burden on this organ, so you just need to exclude it from your life. Also, life expectancy is affected by the age of the patient, his body weight, gender, the activity of the immune system, the timeliness of treatment and the presence of concomitant serious diseases.
Who is most prone to infection
How many live with hepatitis C depending on age? Experts believe that young people are most susceptible to infection with such a virus. However, the younger the patient, the lower the risk of developing cirrhosis (subject to the correct lifestyle). In this regard, middle-aged people should be very careful and carefully monitor their he alth. For example, men over 45 who occasionally drink alcohol are at risk. After all, when infected with hepatitis C, the probability of progression of cirrhosis is about 40%. SpecialistsIt is believed that all patients with hepatitis C over the age of 50 develop cirrhosis of the liver in the future.
Influence of gender on the development of the disease
How long do people live with hepatitis C, depending on gender? Numerous studies show that gender plays a decisive role in the development of fibrosis or cirrhosis. Even if the treatment is organized correctly, men are still very likely to become carriers of such diseases. In women, this risk is quite low.
The patient's body weight and possible consequences
How long do people live with hepatitis C depending on body weight? Excess weight is directly proportional to the progression of this virus. The more the patient weighs, the greater the risk of fatty liver, which activates irreversible processes in its structure. That is why active sports are very important to maintain optimal condition. This is especially true for people with diabetes. Proper diet and regular exercise are key to keeping them alive.
Treatment
How many live with hepatitis C? First of all, infected people need to remember that such a diagnosis does not mean a death sentence, it can and must be fought. If you suspect hepatitis C, then self-medication in this case will not work. First of all, you need to consult with a specialist, because only he can prescribe an effective treatment that depends on several factors: gender, age, stage and duration.diseases, as well as from a genetic predisposition to the rapid progress of cirrhosis of the liver. The last point is decisive in the appointment of individual therapy. To identify such a tendency, it is necessary to conduct many special tests for the presence of certain markers in the body. After this procedure, the specialist can already prescribe a suitable treatment. It is worth noting that with the advent of modern techniques in conducting this kind of analysis, it has become much easier to establish cirrhosis of the liver. In the old days, the predisposition to cirrhosis was assessed only by the presence of this disease in the relatives of the patient.
It is worth noting that the treatment of hepatitis C is very expensive, especially in our country. Unfortunately, the possibility of free therapy is also missing. In connection with this state of affairs, a reasonable question arises: how long do people live with hepatitis C without treatment? The answer is also ambiguous. It all depends on the combination of the above factors. However, of course, without medical intervention, the life expectancy of the patient is significantly reduced.
Summing up all that has been said, it is impossible to determine exactly how many people live with hepatitis C. With careful observance of all the above recommendations, a patient with such a diagnosis can live a long and happy life. As a rule, the hepatitis C virus itself does not kill a person. This is done by serious consequences, developing gradually.
A vaccine against this virus has not yet been created, however, people, observing precautions andcertain hygiene practices can avoid infection.
