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Hepatitis C Infection Symptoms

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Related Tags: hepatitis | symptoms | hcv | diagnosis | antibodies
 

Instructions

Transmission and Risk Factors

  • Step 1:
    The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted through blood. Some of the main risk factors of transmission are injection drug use, sexual intercourse, blood transfusions before 1992, hemodialysis and needle sticks.

Acute Hepatitis C Symptoms

  • Step 1:
    Acute hepatitis C often has no symptoms. Sometimes mild symptoms do appear; they include flu-like symptoms, nausea, poor appetite and abdominal pain.

Chronic Hepatitis C Symptoms

  • Step 1:
    Chronic hepatitis C symptoms can include jaundice, ascites and bruising from cirrhosis once it has progressed.

Diagnosis

  • Step 1:
    Because there are often nosymptoms or mild symptoms, diagnosis of hepatitis C often does not occur until advanced liver disease is present. Blood tests that look for HCV antibodies, which would likely indicate hepatitis C is present, are used for diagnosis; if no antibodies are present and hepatitis C is still suspected, RNA testing is performed.

Treatment

  • Step 1:
    A combination drug treatment of peginterferon (Pegasys or Pegintron) and Ribavirin is used to treat hepatitis C. There is no hepatitis C vaccine.

Resources


Hepatitis C Infection Symptoms Provided by eHow.com
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