The Various Stages of Hepatitis C
The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is the main cause of Hepatitis C, which when undetected can lead to lung cancer. Hepatitis C has various stages with different treatments for each. The first stage is Acute Hep C, it is an acute phase of 6 months during which our immune system fights with HCV, as a result, HCV may or may not be retained in our system. After our immune system fails Acute Hep C changes into Chronic Hep C where the liver cells die and inflammation of liver starts. About 20% of patients develop cirrhosis where the liver loses the ability to function, and this can result in lung cancer. The end-stage occurs when the liver is severely damaged and can no longer function properly.
Symptoms of Hepatitis C
All the stages have different symptoms, which are given below
- Fatigue
- Jaundice
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal swelling
- Upset stomach
- Joint and muscle pain
- Dark and yellow urine
- Bleeding and bruising easily
Treatment and Side Effects
The Acute Hepatitis C is not medicated as the immune systems try to fight back and about 20-30% people save themselves from Chronic Hep C. WHO recommends therapy with Direct Acting Antivirals (DAA) which can cure people in just 12-24 weeks, although treatment for every person is different and the treatment is changing quickly. Some of the pills are Daclatasvir (Daklinza), Elbasvir-grazoprevir (Zepatier), Ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (Harvoni), Glecaprevir and pibrentasvir (Mavyret), and Ombitasvir, paritaprevir, dasabuvir (Viekira Pak). However, these medications have some side effects:
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Memory problems
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Fainting
- Fatigue
- Arthritis
- Depression
- Low blood cells count
Hepatitis C can be stopped if we have a strong immune system that can win against this deadly virus. The symptoms are not visible at the early times, so it’s best to keep a close tab and eat healthily to build strong immunity.
