What is Hepatitis C and how fatal is it

Is hepatitis C fatal?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_hepatitis_C_fatal&src=rss0

Rarely. Liver damage can be minimized by treatment. The earlier the detection, the sooner the treatment, the better the prognosis. See the link

How fatal is hepatitis B and C? What percentage of people infecte…?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080301143140AAXR0Ps

Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of liver transplants and it can lead directly to liver cancer without progressing to cirrhosis first, as hepatitis c does. Of 100 people with Hepatitis C, 15-20% will go on to have cirrhosis , and 3-…

Does screening for hepatitis C reduce the risk or rate of harm an…?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=hsevidsyn&part=A34886#A34887

We identified no randomized trials or observational studies comparing outcomes between patients in the general adult population or high-risk subpopulations screened and not screened for hepatitis C. Although blood donors are routinely scree…

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

How fatal is hepatitis B and C? What percentage of people infected die from it?

Q:

A: Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of liver transplants and it can lead directly to liver cancer without progressing to cirrhosis first, as hepatitis c does. Of 100 people with Hepatitis C, 15-20% will go on to have cirrhosis , and 3-5% will progress to liver cancer or ESLD (end stage liver disease) and the need for transplantation. About 10,000 people die each year waiting for a liver, and the number is expected to increase threefold as we reach 2010.Hope this helps.

Hepatitis C?

Q: I need to know everything about it!! I checked wikipedia and I didn’t find everything I need, help me people!!What are the symptoms?What are the causes of it and how does someone get it?Are there any cures? If so, what are they?Can Hepatitis C lead to death (fatal)?Is it only contagious or can someone be born with it too?And I’d like to know everything you know about it! Facts, statistics, etc. Thank you!!

A: There is so much to learn about hep C (HCV), it would take too much time to tell it all here. I would suggest you check out the website http://www.hcvadvocate.org and click on “Fact sheets”. It is a very comprehensive website with very accurate information. Briefly here is some info for you to start with:Symptoms: often there are none, that is why so many people aren’t diagnosed with HCV until it progresses. Subtle symptoms are fatigue, joint pain, aches. Many times those symptoms can be attributed to other things( working too much, getting older, etc). Causes: The transmission risk factors are:Blood transfusions before 1992, IV drug use even if only one time years ago, tattoos, piercings, mother to child transmission during birth (kinda rare: less than 5%), sharing toothbrushes or razors with an infected person even if they don’t know they have it, kidney dialysis, exposure to blood by medical workers (doctors, nurses, EMT’s, paramedics, etc), organ transplant recipients, and rarely sex if there is an exchange of blood (as in rough sex, kinky sex, MSM sex, etc). Cures: The standard treatment for HCV is pegylated interferon weekly shots and daily ribavirin pills for a year (or less depending on which genotype you have). This is a mild form of chemotherapy and has side effects which can be managed through patient education, support, and other medications. The success rate is 50-57% for genotype 1 (the most common form of HCV in the US), and 80% or higher for genotypes 2 & 3. HCV can lead to death if ignored or undiagnosed until too late. The liver is such a tough organ and the symptoms are so subtle until the damage has progressed to a significant amount. There are many variables that affect how much the liver becomes damaged. If someone has HCV and continues to drink alcohol, the virus will replicate faster and the damage will occur more quickly. If someone is co-infected with two forms of hepatitis, such as Hep B (HBV) and HCV, the liver becomes more damaged quickly. Also, exposure to drugs (even OTC drugs like tylenol in large doses or excessive doses of prescription drugs ) can increase damage to the liver faster. It is contagious only if an infected person’s blood is in contact with a non infected person’s blood. (see transmission risk factors above). About 10,000 + people die each year waiting for a liver, so if one has HCV, it is best to live a healthy lifestyle and try to treat it so advanced liver disease will not be a concern. You can read some other questions and answers here:http://answers.yahoo.com/my/my;_ylt=AiKx1omw.9YKRqlM8vk4mJjpy6IX;_ylv=3I was diagnosed in summer of 2000, and started treatment in Aug. By Nov. I was undetectable and have been cleared of the virus since then (7 years). I have facilitated a support group for the last 6 years and have seen many people come & go through our doors. I’ve also seen a decline in the number of people needing liver transplants, due to the improvement of the treatment medication over the years. While the treatment is not 100% effective for everyone, the success rate (called SVR) has been climbing over the last few years. Hope this helps. Education is powerful, join a support group and learn as much about it as you can. Best wishes.

hepatitis C ..anyone have//know someone who has it or just kno alot about it..???

Q: my cousin was diagnosed with it ..what happens??is it fatal??will it ever go awayfor people who have it::how do you feel?? is it like AIDS where you always feel run down and tired?my cousin is 25 with a 4 year old child, is she going to be OK???=[

A: My mother just had it. She was on Chemotherapy and some experimental drugs and she it cured her. It was very hard on her body and she lost lot’s of weight. So basically what i’m saying is it is possible to get rid of. im not sure how good or bad the chances are though.