Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a disease that affects the liver. It is a blood-borne infection that affects approximately 150 to 200 million people worldwide. Currently, a vaccine against the hepatitis C virus does not exist. Typically, the infection does not present any symptoms, but once established, it can cause swelling of the liver (referred to as chronic hepatitis). Chronic hepatitis C can lead to scarring of the liver (fibrosis), and advanced scarring (cirrhosis). Some patients with cirrhosis will develop liver failure or other complications of cirrhosis, including liver cancer.
Symptoms of the hepatitis C infection can be managed medically. Though early medical involvement is helpful, people infected with the HCV may only experience mild symptoms, and as a result, not seek treatment.
The first 6 months after infection are referred to as the acute phase of the hepatitis C virus. Sixty to seventy percent of those infected experience no symptoms during the acute phase. In the minority of patients who develop acute phase symptoms, they are generally mild and non-specific, and hardly ever lead to a specific diagnosis of hepatitis C.
Symptoms of acute hepatitis C infection include:
- Decreased appetite
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Itching
- Flu-like symptoms
Generally, the hepatitis C virus can be detected in the blood within one to three weeks after infection, and antibodies to the virus can usually be detected within 3 to 12 weeks. With the help of anti-viral medications approximately 15 to 40 percent of infected patients clear the virus from their bodies during the acute phase. The remaining 60 to 85 percent of patients infected with HCV develop chronic hepatitis C, i.e., infection lasting more than 6 months. Since chronic HCV it is often asymptomatic, it is mostly discovered accidentally.
Methods of transmission include:
- Injection drug use (via a shared needle)
- Drug use by nasal inhalation (snorting cocaine or crystal methamphetamines with a shared straw where even a small trace of blood or mucous can carry the virus)
- Blood transfusion
- Organ transplant
- Improperly sterilized medical or dental equipment
- Occupational exposure to blood (i.e., medical and dental personnel, first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement officers)
- Sexual exposure (considered rare)
- Body piercings and tattoos (when equipment is not properly sterilized)
- Shared personal care items (i.e., razors, toothbrushes and manicuring and pedicuring equipment)
- Vertical transmission (from mother to child during the birth process)
Free Reports
Free Consultation
Law Offices of LaVan & Neidenberg, P. A.
1214 South Andrews Avenue
Suite 301
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: (954) 523-3870
Toll Free: (888) 234-5758
Get Directions