Hepatitis C is an infectious disease of the liver. According to statistics, more than 170 million inhabitants of the planet suffer from this disease. Every year, it is detected in 3-4 million patients, and in recent years young people have increasingly heard a terrible diagnosis. Consider why hepatitis C occurs, life expectancy with this disease and possible methods of its treatment.
Essence of disease
After entering the liver, the hepatitis C virus multiplies rapidly. Destroying cells and causing their death, it provokes the development of an ongoing inflammatory process. By replacing he althy liver cells with connective tissue, the hepatitis C virus causes cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and even cancer.
Transmission routes
Infection occurs mainly through the blood. Among the most common reasons for the virus to enter the human body are:
· repeated use of needles by drug addicts;
· transfusing the blood of a patient with hepatitis C to a he althy person;
· work of medical staff with infected biologicalliquids.
It has been proven that there is a possibility of sexual transmission, but this happens quite rarely (no more than 5% of cases). A similar percentage of the probability of becoming a carrier of the virus is observed when the baby passes through the birth canal. To date, there is no sufficient evidence base on the transmission of the virus through breast milk during feeding. This disease is not transmitted through household contacts.
Virus genotypes
When diagnosed with hepatitis C, life expectancy depends on the genotype of the virus that infects the body. In modern times, 6 genotypes with different subtypes have been identified. So, most often, viruses of genotypes 1, 2, 3 are found in the blood of patients. The most severe course is characteristic of hepatitis C, which was caused by the genotype 1b virus.
Symptomatics
Unlike other forms of chronic viral hepatitis, hepatitis C is characterized by a protracted and milder course. The incubation period of the disease varies from 20 to 140 days. Often, the symptoms of the disease are completely absent for a long time, which makes timely diagnosis impossible. Suspicion of hepatitis C in the initial phase of the disease should arise if there are signs such as:
Quick fatigue, loss of strength, general weakness;
Vomiting, nausea, light stools, belching with bile;
· prolonged fever, joint pain, chills;
icteric staining of mucous membranes andleather;
· pain in the liver.
Some patients also complain of headaches and itchy skin. With the development of the disease, there is a violation of appetite. In most cases, hepatitis develops into a chronic form over time. However, about 20% of patients still manage to achieve a complete recovery. Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C include:
· Weakness, fatigue and drowsiness. In the morning, the patient wakes up heavily and prefers to lie in bed for a long time without getting up.
· Changing sleep patterns. Patients are characterized by insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day. These manifestations may indicate the development of hepatic encephalopathy.
· Rapidly growing dyspeptic disorders: vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite.
A disease in a chronic form can last for decades. Many people with hepatitis C live without even knowing that they have been infected with a serious virus.
Diagnosis
To detect hepatitis C, a potential patient should take an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA test), which allows detecting the presence of special antibodies (anti-HCV) in the blood. However, in this study, the probability of obtaining a false positive result is quite high (when a person is actually he althy, but the test claims that he is sick). In order to confirm the result obtained, an analysis carried out by the method of recombinant immunoblotting is used. But at the same time, its positive result only indicatesthe presence of antibodies in the body, but not the presence of the virus itself in it.
In the early stages of the disease, when a sufficient amount of antibodies has not yet been developed, a recombinant immunoblot and ELISA can diagnose hepatitis C negative, while in reality the virus has already settled in the human body. For this reason, the most reliable research method is PCR diagnostics (polymerase chain reaction), which allows not only to detect the presence of hepatitis C virus in the blood, but also to determine the degree of viral load.
Hepatitis C treatment
Reviews of doctors indicate that this disease is curable, only the main thing is to recognize its presence in a timely manner and consult a doctor. The choice of a course of treatment is always individual and depends on the patient's gender, hepatitis virus genotype, and the degree of liver damage. Antiviral drugs are often prescribed, as well as drugs whose action is aimed at activating the body's defenses. A combination of two drugs is used: interferon-alpha and ribavirin. Interferon is a protein that is produced naturally in the body in response to the hepatitis virus. The drug strengthens the immune system to fight infection. Ribavirin is a drug that inhibits the reproduction of the virus. For the treatment of patients with a complicated or severe course of the disease, as a rule, protease inhibitors (Boceprevir, Incivec) are also prescribed. These drugs have antiviral activity, which greatly complicates the process of replication.virus.
One of the latest developments in the field of antiviral therapy for hepatitis C is sofosbuvir, which is an RNA polymerase inhibitor that makes it almost impossible for the virus to multiply in liver cells. Therapeutic tests have shown the high efficiency of the drug and confirmed the safety of its use.
Treatment results
In general, the treatment of almost 100% of patients infected with viruses of the 2nd and 3rd genotypes ends with a complete recovery. While the effectiveness of the fight against the hepatitis C virus of the 1st genotype is only 50%. The likelihood of recovery depends on the individual characteristics of the disease, the patient himself and the professional qualities of the treating specialist.
Life expectancy for hepatitis C patients
The virus itself does not pose a mortal danger, it only contributes to the course of pathological processes that shorten the life of a sick person. It is impossible to designate a specific time interval, common for all infected people, when the destruction occurring in the body leads to death. With a disease like hepatitis C, life expectancy depends on many factors, including:
· route of transmission of the virus;
Age and gender of the patient;
· state of immunity;
· duration of infection;
timely treatment;
· living a he althy lifestyle;
· the presence or absence of concomitant chronic diseases (obesity, diabetesdiabetes).
In 30% of patients, the progression of the disease can occur 50 years after infection, and therefore such people have every chance to live long. Also, in 30% of those infected, the time interval after hepatitis in its initial stage before the development of cirrhosis of the liver is less than 20 years. In persons who abuse alcohol, cirrhosis develops after 5-8 years. In addition, children and the elderly have a hard time with the disease.
The life of hepatitis C patients
Hepatitis C patients must take all necessary measures to avoid infecting he althy people. Also, patients need to adjust their lifestyle: limit as much as possible or, even better, completely abandon the use of alcohol, do not burden yourself with heavy physical labor, exclude spicy and fried foods from the diet.
It is useful to exercise, eat right, eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Care should be taken when taking nutritional supplements and vitamins that can adversely affect the liver. Hepatoprotectors that cleanse and support the liver, homeopathic preparations are recommended. Regular tests and examinations will help keep track of the viral load. It is important to strengthen the immune system, activating the body's defenses to fight the virus.
When diagnosed with hepatitis C, life expectancy can be increased by each person, for this it is necessary to take the treatment of the disease very seriously and do everythingexpert advice.
