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Hepatitis C in Children

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Related Tags: hepatitis | children | virus | symptoms | diagnosis
 

Instructions

Significance

  • Step 1:
    Hepatitis C infects more than 4 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four in 100 children have chronic Hepatitis C, according to the American Liver Foundation.

Causes

  • Step 1:
    Hepatitis C is caused by a virus and is passed through contact with blood. It can also be passed from mother to infant during childbirth.

Symptoms

  • Step 1:
    Symptoms of Hepatitis C include fatigue, loss of appetite, jaundice and abdominal pain. However, more than 50 percent of individuals with Hepatitis C have no symptoms.

Diagnosis

  • Step 1:
    Hepatitis C diagnosis is made through blood tests to check for the virus. There are also genotype tests to test for the various types of the Hepatitis C virus, which will help determine treatment.

Treatments

  • Step 1:
    There are no FDA-approved treatments for Hepatitis C in children, according to the Colorado Children's Hospital. Interferon and ribavirin are two drugs used to treat adults that are also sometimes used in children.

Hepatitis C in Children Provided by eHow.com
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