Hepatitis C Treatment Options Information
For more information 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.
Sharing needles, straws, pipes, spoons and other drug-related equipment.
(At least two-thirds of all new hepatitis C infections are drug-use related. Cleaning equipment with bleach does not always effectively kill the virus)
Getting a tattoo, body piercing or acupuncture from an operator who does not use sterile equipment or techniques
Being born to a mother with hepatitis C
Getting pierced by a needle or sharp equipment that has infected blood on it ( in a hospital, workplace situation, etc.)
People who had blood transfusions before the testing of blood donations became mandatory in 1990 may also be at risk. And, while the risk is low, it is also possible to become infected by sharing personal household articles such as a razor or toothbrush with an infected person. The risk of transmission of hepatitis C during sex is also low, unless both parties have open bleeding sores.
It is estimated that 240, 000 people in Canada are currently infected with hepatitis C, of whom only 30% know they have the virus.
If you think you may be at risk, either now or from past risky activities see a doctor. The virus can be detected with a simple blood test, and there are steps and medications you can take to successfully minimize the effects of the disease if your diagnosis is positive. For more information, 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.
The hepatitis C virus lives in your liver. It inflames liver cells, which, over time, affects the way your liver functions. The effect of the hepatitis C virus varies from person to person. There is no way to predict how your body will react to it. There are, however, some things that are known:
You can live with hepatitis C for many years without experiencing any major symptoms, or you might simply feel tired. Symptoms can come and go over time. Their presence or absence does not tell you the degree to which liver damage may or may not be occurring.
Chronic, long-term inflammation of the liver can cause liver cell damage and result in fibrosis (liver scarring), or even cirrhosis. This damage can occur in as little as five years, or as long as 30 years.
About 20% of chronic hepatitis patients develop cirrhosis within 10 to 20 years.
Use of recreational drugs or alcohol can speed up inflammation and the development of fibrosis or cirrhosis.
There is an increased risk of liver cancer in people with cirrhosis.
The good news is that current drug treatments can be very effective for people with hepatitis C. Combined with proper nutrition, plenty of rest, and avoidance of recreational drugs and alcohol, these treatments help many who have the virus lead relatively healthy lives.
If you think you may be at risk of getting hepatitis C, see your doctor. The virus can be detected by a simple blood test. For more information on how to keep your liver happy and healthy, 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.
