Several decades ago, doctors used only one name to refer to viral hepatitis - jaundice or Botkin's disease. But after numerous studies, the pathology was classified and it began to be denoted by different letters from A to F.
Hepatitis C - what is this disease
Recently identified forms of the disease are referred to by the initials of those in whom they were first discovered - TTV, GB. According to doctors, the emergence of other varieties of the virus is not ruled out in the future. But now the most dangerous and common is the form of hepatitis, denoted by the letter C.
This is a viral pathology, the causative agent of which belongs to the Flaviviridae category, the HCV species or HCV. Hepatitis C was first discovered in 1989. When viewed under a microscope, it is a small spherical formation that is covered with a shell.
The virus has many features that allow it to be identified.
- Liver damage in hepatitis C is always accompanied by concomitant pathologies of internal organs, as well as all sorts of disorders in the immune system and metabolismsubstances.
- The virus easily deceives the human immune system and is constantly being modified. That is why scientists regularly discover new varieties of the disease.
- How is hepatitis C transmitted? Infection occurs parenterally, that is, without the participation of the digestive system. First, the virus enters the bloodstream, and then into the liver parenchyma. Is hepatitis C contagious to others? Most often, it is transmitted through a dirty syringe at the time of injection. But it is possible that the pathogen enters the body through the mucous membrane, for example, during intimacy without a condom.
- The chances of recovery from acute hepatitis C are approximately 15% of all patients. And in the rest of the patients, the disease turns into a latent chronic form, which entails cirrhosis and liver cancer.
- A pathology develops according to the type of a chronic disease - this is one of the main features of hepatitis C. The skin of patients may turn yellow for a short time or not change its color at all.
- The virus also has a positive property. Intrauterine infection is not excluded, but is quite rare.
Features
In 2004, hepatitis C was included in the list of socially significant diseases in the Russian Federation. This disease is most often found in a chronic form, and it is very difficult to control its spread, since there is simply no vaccine against it. About 90% of people who inject themselves with drugs are carriers of hepatitis C.
The chronic form of the disease has a feature: the virus can be present in the body ininactive and active state. Moreover, this characteristic changes regularly. In this case, antibodies may be detected in the blood, and the virus itself may be absent. And this means that there is a disease, but it cannot be cured at this phase.
You can confirm or refute a suspected diagnosis using complex diagnostics, which includes:
- laboratory studies - determination of the concentration of the virus and the amount of specific antibodies;
- instrumental techniques - parenchyma puncture.
How long does a virus live
Is hepatitis C contagious to others? The resistance of the pathogen was studied in laboratory conditions. With the help of experiments, it was proved that the virus can persist on various surfaces, even on a syringe needle, for more than four days at room temperature. When using a syringe that was in the vein of a carrier of hepatitis C, infection occurs.
Boiling for two minutes can render the pathogen inactive. The same can be done with ultraviolet radiation in 10 minutes.
What you need to know
The probability of contracting hepatitis C is the highest with the errors of the medical service and a variety of everyday situations. After all, the virus can enter the bloodstream even with microtrauma.
Is a carrier of hepatitis C contagious or not? In domestic conditions, a person with such a diagnosis practically does not pose a threat to others. After all, the main condition for infection is direct blood contact.carrier with the bloodstream of a he althy person.
How long do virus carriers live
After about 15-30 years, chronic pathology leads to severe, irreversible damage to the organ - cirrhosis of the liver. In view of the fact that the risk group consists mainly of young people under 30 years old, the risk of getting catastrophic consequences at 45-60 years old, and possibly even earlier, is relevant. This is the outcome expected by about 20% of patients with chronic hepatitis C.
In addition, a person with a damaged liver suffers from a deterioration in the quality of his life. One of its main functions is reduced - the neutralization of metabolites after taking alcohol and fatty foods. Blood stasis is not ruled out, which may occur due to a deterioration in the filtration capacity of the liver.
Possible premature death of a patient diagnosed with hepatitis C, provoked by indirect causes. For example, due to the deterioration of the liver, other serious malformations can develop in the body.
The final stage of hepatitis C - cirrhosis of the liver manifests itself in the form of a total disruption of the organ, the emptying of small vessels and the formation of large blood flow. This process is irreversible, it is almost impossible to eliminate it even with the help of modern methods.
Due to the compaction of the parenchyma, congestion appears in the abdominal cavity. Against the background of this process, the walls of the arteries expand, which is fraught with rupture of blood vessels and severe bleeding. Sometimes patients with this diagnosis develop cancer of the damagedbody.
Signs of disease
The main feature of hepatitis C is the absence or short-term yellowness of the skin. Such a shade of the cornea of the eyes and integuments is a symptom of liver damage, or more precisely, a sign of an increase in the volume of bile pigment in the bloodstream. Bilirubin - this is what this pigment is called, it can penetrate into the blood in various pathologies of the bile ducts or liver parenchyma.
First signs of hepatitis C:
- general fatigue, weakness and severe apathy;
- decrease in working capacity;
- loss of appetite;
- pain in the right hypochondrium, which indicates inflammation or dyskinesia in the gallbladder;
- an increase in the size of the liver, which is felt on palpation - this symptom can only be detected by a doctor, but the patient himself can only feel fullness in the area of the organ;
- permanent fever possible.
Among other things, the patient may experience symptoms that have nothing to do with the liver. This is another feature of hepatitis C.
Here are the main signs that are not related to the work of the liver:
- myocardial and joint damage;
- various vision problems;
- rashes from papules on mucous membranes and skin;
- bladder and kidney damage.
None of these symptoms are specific, but almost always indicate damage to the liver and other organs that interact with it.
Othersigns of the virus can be detected through instrumental and laboratory studies.
Hepatitis C in infants
- Recorded no more than 7% of cases of transmission of the virus during pregnancy from mother to child. Moreover, infection is possible only in the active phase of the development of the disease.
- The breast milk of a sick mother is absolutely safe for the baby if there is no damage on the nipples of the woman and in the mouth of the child.
- Specific antibodies seep through the placenta, so they can be detected in the blood of a child under one year old.
- The first signs of hepatitis in infants appear exactly the same as in adults. The main symptom is yellowness of the skin.
- Intrauterine infection is completely excluded in children born to infected mothers if antibodies disappear from the blood at the age of one year.
- Infants with a family history of hepatitis C should be monitored by doctors in their first years of life.
Transmission routes
Is hepatitis C contagious to others? You can answer this question by understanding the common routes of transmission of the virus. Approximately 25% of adults and 50% of children cannot identify the cause of the disease. Most often, the virus is transmitted through intravenous drug use. Another common route of infection is sexual contact. But there is one condition for transmission - there must be damage on the mucous membranes of the reproductive organs. Otherwise, the virus will not enter the body.
There are other ways of infection. For example, the virus often enters the body duringtime of various medical procedures:
- drug injections, blood transfusion;
- dental interventions;
- sessions in the cosmetologist's office associated with a violation of the integrity of the skin.
Some argue that the virus can enter the body through the bites of blood-sucking insects.
Is hepatitis C contagious to others? The virus can be transmitted, for example, by sharing a razor. But this disease is definitely not transmitted by airborne droplets.
The oral-fecal route of infection, characteristic of forms A and E, is not excluded in the case of hepatitis C, but with a lesser degree of probability. This route of transmission is possible if the mucous membrane of the digestive tract is damaged in a person.
Is chronic hepatitis C contagious or not? The virus carries a danger to a he althy person with any form of illness. Even if it is inactive for some period, it still remains in the body and can be transmitted to other people.
Is hepatitis C sexually transmitted
Infection in this way is possible, but due to the characteristics of the pathogen, genital infection is not considered common. The same applies to the household transmission route.
Is hepatitis C sexually transmitted when using a condom? The main condition for the penetration of the virus into the body is damage to the skin and mucous membranes, which manifest themselves in the form of minor or severe bleeding. That's whythe use of a condom is not a panacea for the disease in this case.
Features of treatment
Therapy for chronic and acute hepatitis is very different. Treatment of the latter form is aimed at stopping the main symptoms of the pathology, protecting the organ from further destruction, as well as restoring its main functions.
A patient with acute hepatitis C is given intravenous injections of solutions that stimulate the elimination of harmful toxins from the body. Additionally - vitamins and choleretic agents.
The peculiarity of the treatment of the acute form of the disease is the mandatory use of immunocorrectors. This need is explained by the properties of the virus. For other types of hepatitis, this tactic of treatment in acute course is not appropriate.
Diet
A special diet plays an important role in the treatment.
In the acute form of hepatitis C, patients are advised to follow a therapeutic diet called table number 5. The menu of such a diet includes:
- slightly toasted baked goods;
- milk and vegetable soups;
- lean meat;
- low-calorie fish;
- dairy products;
- drinks without gas and sugar;
- fruits.
The use of pickled, fried, smoked, canned foods is strictly prohibited. Do not eat pickles, fermented, sour, s alty, spicy foods.
Chronic disease therapy
In the treatment of chronic hepatitis Cvarious immunomodulators are necessarily used:
- interferons and their stimulants - "Reaferon", "Roferon", "Intron A";
- correctors of cellular or humoral immunity - "Amiksin", "Cycloferon".
Sometimes doctors change hepatitis C medications. If a patient develops a fever, physical therapy and antipyretics are prescribed.
Additionally, antiviral drugs, such as Ribavirin or Remantadine, may be prescribed.
How to prevent disease
Prevention measures are individual for each person. The key is to know if hepatitis C virus is contagious to others and to remember basic precautions.
It is recommended to monitor the sterility of the instruments used during various medical and cosmetic procedures. During sexual intercourse, barrier contraception should be used and hygiene rules should be observed. It is very important to protect damaged areas on the skin and mucous membranes, especially when in contact with strangers.
Now you know if hepatitis C is contagious to others, and you can protect yourself from the virus.
