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- Introduction to Hepatitis C
- Symptoms of Hepatitis C
- Causes of Hepatitis C
- Risk factors of Hepatitis C
- Treatment of Hepatitis C
- Conlcusion about Hepatitis C infection
Hepatitis C - HCV Virus
Hepatitis C virus causes the hepatitis C. hepatitis C is usually caused by the transfer of blood or any other body fluid from patient to the other person, through sexual intercourse and to baby from feeding mother.
Hepatitis C does not get better at its own. Mostly the patients of hepatitis C does not give away any kind of symptoms and are usually diagnosed during a blood test. It is possible that the hepatitis will last for a life time where scarring liver or developing cancer in liver is also possible. Unfortunately there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) – a virus that enters the body and attacks the liver and lead to inflammation - is the cause of hepatitis C. in a majority of affectees the disease is not detected by symptoms, as there are no signs. The patients come to know about the disease after severe damage has caused and after decades when some medical test or during routine check up the inflammation is figured out.
HCV belongs to the other types of hepatitis but it is the most serious disease among all. It is discovered that the hepatitis C is caused by contaminated blood that is transferred through needles shared among addicts.
Symptoms of Hepatitis C
Whenever the signs and symptoms of hepatitis C appear, they are usually mild and similar to flu. We have listed the signs for the convenience of the readers however it is informed that these signs may be or may not be caused by hepatitis alone.
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Poor appetite
- Tenderness among the areas adjacent to the liver
- Nausea
- Pain in muscles and joints
Causes of Hepatitis C
There is only one way to acquire the hepatitis C and that is through internal contact with the affectee. The virus can be acquired by:
- Organ transplant and blood transfusion: Great improvement in the screening of blood was available after 1992. There are vital chances that all those people who have gone through blood transfusion or/and organ transplant before 1992 have unknowingly acquired the virus from a patient of hepatitis C.
- By needles: It is usually seen that addicts share needles for injecting drugs. The needle moves among senseless people and anyone who has hepatitis C can transfer the virus to the company.
- Birth: It is also seen that hepatitis C transfers from mother to the child during birth where breast feeding also offers risk to the infant.
- Sexual intercourse: Not is common, but rarely one can acquire HCV through sexual contact with his or her partner.
Risk factors of Hepatitis C
The risk of availing infection of hepatitis C can increase due to multiple factors such as:
- You are a health care worker and exposed to blood samples that may contain infected blood;
- You have ever been a user of illicit drugs;
- You are HIV positive;
- You have undergone piercing or made tattoo in a place that is not hygienic and the equipment is unsterile;
- Your mother is a patient of hepatitis C;
- You have received hemodialysis treatments but a long time ago;
- You have received clotting factor concentration prior to 1987; and
- You have organ transplantation or blood transfusion before 1992.
Alpha Interferon
More than ten year ago, the therapy for chronic hepatitis C steadily evolved with the first approval of alpha interferon. Today the best time of recovering is recorded between 24 to 48 weeks for the regimen of ribavirin, alpha interferon and pegylated.
Alpha interferon is a host protein that composes in response to some viral infection and has a natural tendency of antiviral activity. Many re-combinations of alpha interferon have been produced. Several formulations are also available for the treatment of hepatitis C such as alpha-2a, alpha-2b and consensus interferon. However, pegylated interferon (peginterferon) has replaced these standard forms of interferon.
Pegylated interferon is an alpha interferon that has been changed or modified by the addition of a large number of polyethylene glycol (inert molecules by nature). Pegylation is helpful in changing the distribution, uptake and excretion of interferon so its half-life is prolonged. Half life is the time after which the molecules of a certain substance reduce to half in number. Standard interferon is given several times a week where it provides fluctuating and intermittent levels. On the other hand, peginterferon is given only once a week and maintains a constant level of interferon in blood. Peginterferon is more active in inhibiting HCV as compared to standard interferon, where its sustained response rates are higher with corresponding side effects.
In both, monotherapy and combined therapy for hepatitis C, peginterferon is proffered because of its ease of administration and better efficacy.
Ribavirin
Oral antiviral agent with activity against a wide range of viruses is called ribavirin. In its self, ribavirin has little effect to the HCV but when added with the interferon it increases (by two to three folds) the sustained response. It is due to these reasons that combined therapy is suggested for dealing with the hepatitis C patients where monotherapy of interferon is only suggested in those cases where the use of ribavirin is not possible or offer potential hazards to the critical condition of patient.
Combination Therapy
It is seen that in about 70 per cent of the patients of hepatitis C, the employment of combination therapy results in disappearance of traceable HCV RNA and quick improvements in serum ALT levels. It is witnessed that long term progress in the treatment of hepatitis C only appear if during therapy HCV RNA disappears and do not appear even after the use of therapy is stopped.
If HCV RNA is found to be undetectable for about 6 months or after the therapy is quit then the response is called sustained.
It is also seen that among some patients, who are detected to be HCV RNA negative during the treatment, relapse right after the stopped therapy. Compared with the monotherapy, the relapse rate is lower in patients who are dealt with combination therapy. About 55 per cent sustained response rate is observed in the combination therapy of peginterferon and ribavirin carried out for 48 weeks. A course of 48 weeks followed by peginterferon’s monotherapy results in only 35 per cent sustained response rate.
Dosing
As a result of long and laborious clinical trials two types of peginterferon are developed and studied. Peginterferon alfa-2b (Pegintron: Schering-Plough Corporation, Kenilworth, NJ) and peginterferon alfa-2a (Pegasys: Hoffman La Roche, Nutley, NJ) are the two forms of peginterferon. With different dosage regimens these two types slightly differ from each other when safety and efficacy are discussed.
- Peginterferon alfa-2a: 180 micro grams (mcg) of this type is subcutaneously given per week.
- Peginterferon alfa-2b: It is given subcutaneously per week in a dose that is based on weight of 1.5 micro grams (mcg) per kilo gram (kg) per week.
Ribavirin is oral medicine. With reference to the weight of the body, the medicine is given twice a day in the capsule of 200 milligram (mg). For a patient who has weight less than 75 kilo gram (165 pounds) a standard dose of 1000 mg of ribavirin is prescribed. For those patients who weight more than 165 pounds standard dose of 1200 milligram (mg) is suggested. In specific cases 400 milligrams twice a day, (800 milligram per day is recommended).
Conclusion
Hepatitis C is the most injurious infection among the infections of its genre. The infection can be tackled but it is better if one introduce significant changes in one’s routine and eating habits. The infection can exist within the body for long periods without giving away slightest symptoms. Avoiding any kind of blood or material sharing without screening is the best way of keeping the virus at an arm’s length.
- Introduction to Hepatitis C
- Symptoms of Hepatitis C
- Causes of Hepatitis C
- Risk factors of Hepatitis C
- Treatment of Hepatitis C
- Conlcusion about Hepatitis C infection
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Useful Links
- What I need to know about hepatitis C. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepc_ez/index.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
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