Ultrasound (Chronic Hepatitis C)

Ultrasound
Title: UltrasoundCategory: Procedures and TestsCreated: 12/31/1997Last Editorial Review: 10/15/2005

A Breakthrough Discovery for Hepatitis C
The state of Florida has recently produced a study illuminating the replication and mutation of the Hepatitis C virus. This kind of progress represents a giant leap forward in tracking this persistent virus, which likely means more accurate and efficient...

Viral Hepatitis
Title: Viral HepatitisCategory: Diseases and ConditionsCreated: 12/31/1997Last Editorial Review: 12/5/2005

SCH 503034 Jumps on the Fast Track
Schering-Plough's oral HCV protease inhibitor, SCH 503034, is in phase II trials, and may make for a better combination with Peg-intron. Check-in with us regularly, as we will be keeping close tabs on this development....

HCV - HEPATITIS C | IAFF (Chronic Hepatitis C)

HCV - HEPATITIS C | IAFF
HCV - HEPATITIS C | IAFF Header menu WELCOME WELCOME The IAFF is committed to protecting the health and safety of fire fighters ...

Hepatitis
... Saskatchewan developed a promising vaccine candidate for hepatitis C. The vaccine is a therapeutic vaccine ... trial to test a potential treatment for Hepatitis C is enrolling patients ...

Hepatitis A-Z - a guide to hepatitis
Hundreds of pages of information on Hepatitis: Symptoms, Blood/Other Tests, Treatments & Side Effects, Complementary Therapies, Nutrition, and Support Groups

Experts warn public on dangers of Hep C (Chronic Hepatitis C)

Experts warn public on dangers of Hep C
ABC Online, Australia - Feb 18, 2006ELIZABETH JACKSON: Health experts are warning that Australia doesn't have the resources to deal with a burgeoning epidemic of viral hepatitis, a debilitating ...

Hep C key lies in new needles, not education
Australian, Australia - Feb 19, 2006PROVIDING clean needles to injecting drug users is almost four times more effective in fighting the rising epidemic of hepatitis C than the education and ...

Savage Love
PW-Philadelphia Weekly, PA - Jan 24, 2006... to the CDC website, hep A can live outside the body for months, hep B can live outside the body for seven days and transmit infection, and hep C can last for ...

A Summary of Chronic Hepatitis C InfectionHepatitis C (Chronic Hepatitis C)

A Summary of Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Hepatitis C is a stealthy virus that mutates while hiding in liver cells and other organ cells like the spleen and gall bladder. The fact that the viral cells "hide" makes it very difficult for the body's immune system to eradicate it. Hepatitis C is a slowly progressing disease sometimes taking many years until symptoms are noticeable. It is at this point that the virus has reached advanced chronic stage and becomes difficult to eradicate. Hepatitis C results in 8,000 to 10,000 deaths annually. Hepatitis C is also the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S.

Hepatitis C infection is caused by blood contact with someone who has the virus infection himself. The transmission of the virus can occur by illicit drug use with needles, sharing toothbrushes or razors with an infected person, by sexual means, by unsanitary tattooing or by exposure to blood at your workplace (like a hospital or blood bank). Some HCV infection may have been caused by receiving blood from a transfusion prior to 1992.

Hepatitis C is diagnosed via a blood test. Usually, the first thing that is noticed is that the liver enzyme levels for ALT and AST are elevated well above normal levels. Further investigation via HCV-RNA testing identifies whether the Hepatitis C virus is in your blood or not. Other tests for HCV include qualitative viral load tests, which measure the RNA particles in your blood. If you are being treated for HCV, your doctor is probably using either a HCV-RNA or viral load test to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

The symptoms of Hepatitis C infection often do not occur in a person until 20 years after he/she had been infected. Since the HCV infects the liver and the liver is the organ in the body that makes all the energy for our daily activities possible, liver function deterioration often results in fatigue. Fatigue is the primary complaint or symptom of HCV infection. Other more severe symptoms are jaundice (yellowing of the skin/eyes), bile retention (which can cause jaundice), portal vein hypertension, skin rashes and itching, and autoimmune problems resulting from your body's immune system attacking normal cells.

Long term HCV infection may result in fibrosis or even cirrhosis of the liver. Fibrosis results from unchecked liver inflammation. As the HCV infection progresses, the damage to the liver results in scarring or hardening of the liver cells (fibrosis). Long term fibrosis may lead to cirrhosis which is when the scarring from fibrosis overtakes the normal liver cell structure causing deformity and loss of function in the liver. About 15%-20% of HCV patients end up with cirrhosis. A liver biopsy is currently the most accurate means of determining the amount of inflammation and fibrosis the liver has sustained.

Hepatitis C progression in the body can take several years or even decades to come to chronic stage or to a stage where severe liver damage is evident. This period of time allows a person to determine how to properly treat the disease and to decide on a course of disease management. Currently, the main treatment for HCV infection to eradicate the virus is combo alpha-interferon and Ribavirin. Sometimes a doctor may prescribe interferon alone. Interferon comes in standard form or in pegylated form. Standard form interferon is administered 3 times per week, while the pegylated form is administered only once per week. Your body makes its own interferon, which is a protein that fights viral infection and viral replication.

Hepatitis C may often be managed by taking herbal and vitamin supplements that help your body fight infection and limit inflammation. These supplements help your liver with the inflammation and give it the nutrients it needs to regenerate healthy new cells. Your doctor can recommend alternative or adjunct solutions you may want to try.

Proper treatment of the disease, a healthy and active lifestyle, a good diet, abstinence from alcohol and stress management are important factors in controlling Hepatitis C progression.

About the Author

Greg Lietz is a freelance writer and internet businessman. His main website is http://www.theonlinebizplace.com where he provides content about internet based business opportunities and different niche interests. This article may be freely printed when the bio information is included.

Living Well with Hepatitis C Virus Infection - BC HealthFile #40b (Chronic Hepatitis C)

Living Well with Hepatitis C Virus Infection - BC HealthFile #40b
Symptoms of acute hepatitis C infection may include: fever, tiredness, jaundice [yellow skin or eyes], abdominal pain, dark urine, loss of appetite, ...

If You Have Hepatitis C Infection - Liver Health Information - The ...
If You Have Hepatitis C Infection. By ALF in collaboration with the Veterans Affairs Centers of Excellence in Research and Education for Hepatitis C ...

P4042 If you have hepatitis C, which vaccinations do you need?
P4042 This chart is for patients, and shows which vaccinations one needs if they have hepatitis C.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 BMW M5, Part 2 (Chronic Hepatitis C)

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 BMW M5, Part 2
Jalopnik - Jan 27 6:30 AM
Exterior Design * The Brits call them Q-cars, after the stealthy but deadly vehicles supplied by the imaginary armorer Major Boothroyd (a.k.a. Q) to the sybaritic spy James Bond...Save to My Web

Hepatitis, 'the silent killer,' driven out of the shadows
KARE 11 Minneapolis-St. Paul - Jan 23 9:56 AM
There was a time when Arline Loh of Wilmington, Del., didn't tell people she has hepatitis B. "It carries such a stigma,"Save to My Web

Island addicts need free needles: AIDS PEI
CBC Prince Edward Island - Jan 23 9:03 AM
Addicts on Prince Edward Island are desperate for a free needle exchange, according to Barb Gibson, executive director of AIDS PEI. P.E.I. is the only province in Canada without a provincially-funded needle exchange. The only way for addicts to get free needles is from AIDS PEI's office.Save to My Web

'Silent killer' driven out of the shadows: Hepatitis (Chronic Hepatitis C)

'Silent killer' driven out of the shadows: Hepatitis
Chillico Gazette - There was a time when Arline Loh of Wilmington, Del., didn't tell people she has hepatitis B. "It carries such a stigma," says Loh, 57, an information technology expert who retired three months ago because of liver damage caused by the disease

Daily Planner: Monday
Chico Enterprise-Record - Chico Enterprise-Record Performances MIKELESS OPEN MIKE: 8 p.m., Has Beans, 501 Main St. Spoken word performances. Ongoing. Community BLOOD DRIVE: Donor hours 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday and

Victim of tainted blood scandal puts human face on criminal trial
Philadelphia Inquirer - TORONTO - James Kreppner, his legal career halted when he contracted HIV and Hepatitis C through tainted blood, sat in the back of a courtroom Wednesday, putting a human face on a criminal trial resulting from Canada's worst public health scandal

Peregrine Announces Completion of Planned Patient Enrollment and Dosing in Initial Tarvacin(TM) Anti-Viral Hepatitis C (Chronic Hepatitis C)

Peregrine Announces Completion of Planned Patient Enrollment and Dosing in Initial Tarvacin(TM) Anti-Viral Hepatitis C
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - Feb 15 4:00 AM
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, clinical stage product candidates for viral diseases and cancer, today announced that it has completed planned patient enrollment and dosing in its initial Phase l clinical trial for Tarvacin Anti-Viral in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection .Save to My Web

Is There A Vaccine For Hepatitis C?(NC)-No, not (Chronic Hepatitis C)

Is There A Vaccine For Hepatitis C?

(NC)-No, not for hepatitis C. There are vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. To prevent further damage to your liver, your doctor may advise you to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

Could I give hepatitis C to someone else?

Yes, as far as we know, once you have hepatitis C, you can always transmit it to someone else if they come in contact with your blood. If you have hepatitis C, you can't donate blood. You should avoid sharing personal items like razors and toothbrushes, because the virus is spread through blood to blood contact.

Although the virus isn't spread easily by sexual contact or from a mother to her unborn baby, the risk of transmitting the virus is not absent. Therefore, talk to your doctor first if you want to have children. p>

For more information on hepatitis C visit Health Canada's Web site at www.healthcanada.ca/hepc.

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.