VIRAL HEPATITIS Diagnosis & Treatment - Houston, TX
CHepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. When the virus attacks your liver, your liver becomes inflamed. Hepatitis C can produce ongoing inflammation in the liver for years. Unfortunately, the inflammation can cause scarring and the scar tissue may eventually lead to cirrhosis. There are many causes of hepatitis, such as alcohol, certain drugs, poisonous mushrooms, blood transfusions, and viruses. The Hepatitis C virus is spread through contact with infected blood.
Hepatitis C usually causes no symptoms when people become infected and symptoms could be absent for years. Hepatitis C is often called a “silent” condition. If patients do experience symptoms, they could experience the following: fatigue, muscle and joint pain, light colored stools, poor appetite, diarrhea, fever, dark yellow urine. Unfortunately, any individual can spread Hepatitis C without showing any signs of the virus. If you believe you have any risk of Hepatitis C, it is crucial that you ask your doctor to be tested.
The Hepatitis C virus is determined through a blood test. Your doctor may also request a biopsy of your liver. Even though a biopsy is necessary to diagnosis the disease, it will not determine the extent of damage to the liver. Once diagnosed, it is best to follow the advice of your doctor regarding the Hepatitis C treatment that is best suited for your personal health.
Hepatitis C treatments can prevent or limit future liver damage. Depending on how severe your condition is, your doctor may prescribe injections of a drug called interferon, which strengthens your immune system’s response to the virus. Interferon may be combined with ribavirin, an oral medication that helps prevent the virus from infecting other cells.
Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus is called hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is transmitted through blood, blood products, sexual encounters, and quite often from the mother to the infant in the perinatal period of pregnancy. Hepatitis B affects all age groups. This viral disease can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and without question, death.
Hepatitis B is relatively rare in the United States, but is endemic in parts of Asia where hundreds of millions of individuals are infected.
Adefovir dipivoxil, interferon alfa-2b, pegylated interferon alfa-2a, lamivudine, and entecavir are five drugs used for the treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis B. There is also a vaccine now available that is considered the best protection from this disease.