Treatment Naive Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a serious and life-threatening blood-borne viral pathogen that attacks the liver. A person can be exposed to hepatitis in a variety of ways that involve contact with the blood of an infected person. Hepatitis C is particularly dangerous as it often does not cause noticeable symptoms until liver damage has already occurred. A person who has untreated Hepatitis C is said to be treatment naive and is particularly susceptible to hepatitis-related complications.
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Hepatitis C
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There are three strains of the hepatitis virus: hepatitis A, B and C. Hepatitis A and B often do not require treatment and cause little or no lasting negative effects on the body. The most dangerous form of hepatitis is hepatitis C. As of 2009, hepatitis C had no vaccine or cure. Furthermore, the effects that hepatitis C has on the body, particularly the liver, are usually irreversible. Hepatitis C attacks the liver of an infected person and can lead to liver scarring (cirrhosis) and ultimately death.
Spreading Hepatitis C
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Hepatitis C is spread by contact with the blood of an infected person. A person may unknowingly contract hepatitis C by being tattooed with unsterilized needles and equipment. Health-care workers may be exposed to hepatitis C by blood spray, splatter or accidental finger sticks from infected needles. Hepatitis C is also rampant in the illicit drug community where tainted needles may be shared between multiple persons. Hepatitis C is normally not transmitted sexually; however if sexual contact involves exposure to blood, it may be transmitted in this way.
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The First Six Months
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Within six months of infection, a person may develop cold or flu-like side effects such as nausea, headache, muscle pain, fatigue or weakness. Because these symptoms are so similar to a cold or flu and do not persist, persons often do not seek treatment and remain treatment naive. However, hepatitis C is most successfully treated in the first six months after infection, as blood viral levels are still low and significant liver damage has not occurred.
The First 10 Years
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Over the first 10 years of contracting hepatitis C, even without treatment, a person may notice few if any ill effects. In some cases individuals may experience intermittent pain in the area of the liver. This liver pain may be either localized or dull in nature. The pain hepatitis C patients experience is a direct result of the virus attacking the liver and subsequent formation of scar tissue. Other intermittent symptoms include loss of appetite, a rash on the palms, unexplained weight loss and weakness. Individuals who see a physician and are diagnosed with hepatitis C can often still avoid life-threatening complications during this time period.
Ten to 30 Years
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It is during this point, some two to three decades after infection, when the effects of treatment naive hepatitis C become most pronounced. Cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver may be nearly complete and the liver will have greatly reduced its capacity to function. Persons diagnosed during this stage often have significant liver pain, and may have early to mid-stage liver failure. In addition to being treated with anti-viral medications, persons with advanced hepatitis C often require a liver transplant. Even if the virus is successfully treated, an advanced hepatitis C patient still faces significant mortality risk from liver failure. There is also the risk that the scar tissue caused by advanced hepatitis C may become cancerous.
Life Expectancy
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The life expectancy for persons with hepatitis C is unclear. According to a life expectancy statement from the National Hepatitis Coalition, this is because the disease effects each person differently. Some people will have significant liver damage and others less so. However, among those who have untreated (treatment naive) hepatitis C and significant scarring of the liver, 25 percent go on to develop liver cancer or liver failure as a direct result of hepatitis infection. Therefore, it is highly important to see a physician immediately if there is the possibility of exposure to hepatitis C, or if symptoms point to a possible hepatitis C infection.
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