Hepatitis C: Lifetime. Correct diagnosis, treatment of patients with hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease of the liver. According to statistics, this disease affects more than 170 million people on the planet. Every year, it is detected in 3-4 million patients, and in recent years, a terrible diagnosis is increasingly heard by young people. Consider why there is hepatitis C, the duration of life with this disease and the possible methods of its treatment.

The essence of the disease

Penetrating into the liver, the hepatitis C virus rapidly multiplies. Destroying the cells and causing their death, it provokes the development of an ongoing inflammatory process. Replacing healthy liver cells with a connective tissue, the hepatitis C virus provokes the occurrence of liver cirrhosis, liver failure and even malignant neoplasms.

Ways of transmission of infection

Infection occurs mainly through the blood. Among the most common causes of the virus in the human body can be noted:

· Repeated use of needles by drug addicts;

· Transfusion of blood from a patient with hepatitis C to a healthy person;

· Work of medical staff with contaminated biological fluids.

It is proved that there is a possibility of sexual transmission, but this happens rarely enough (no more than 5% of cases). A similar percentage of the likelihood of becoming a carrier of the virus is observed when the baby passes through the birth canal. To date, there is not sufficient evidence for the transmission of the virus through mother's milk during feeding. At household contacts this disease is not transmitted.

Genotypes of the virus

With the diagnosis of "hepatitis C", life expectancy depends on the genotype of the virus that infected the body. In modern times, six genotypes with various subtypes have been identified. So, most often in the blood of patients are detected viruses of genotypes 1, 2, 3. The most severe course is characteristic for hepatitis C, which was caused by the virus of the 1b-genotype.

Symptomatics

Unlike other forms of chronic viral hepatitis, hepatitis C is characterized by a protracted and lighter course. The incubation period of the disease varies from 20 to 140 days. Often the symptoms of the disease for a long time are completely absent, which makes timely diagnosis impossible. Suspicion of hepatitis C in the initial phase of the disease should occur if there are signs such as:

· Rapid fatigue, loss of strength, general weakness;

· Vomiting, nausea, stool lightening, belching with an admixture of bile;

· Prolonged fever, joint pain, chills;

Icteric staining of mucous membranes and skin;

• pain in the liver.

Some patients complain in addition to this on headaches and skin itching. With the development of the disease, there is a violation of appetite. In most cases, hepatitis eventually develops into a chronic form. However, about 20% of patients still manage to achieve full recovery. Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C include:

· Weakness, fatigue and drowsiness. In the morning the patient wakes up heavily and prefers to stay in bed for a long time without getting up.

· Changing the sleep mode. Patients are characterized by insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day. These manifestations may indicate the development of hepatic encephalopathy.

· Rapidly increasing dyspepsia: vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite.

The ailment in chronic form can last for dozens of years. Many people with hepatitis C live without even realizing that their body was struck by a serious virus.

Diagnostics

To detect hepatitis C, a potential patient should be given an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA test) to detect the presence of special antibodies (anti-HCV) in the blood. However, in this study, the probability of obtaining a false positive result (when a person is actually healthy, but the test claims that he is ill) is high enough. In order to confirm the result, the analysis is performed using the method of recombinant immunoblotting. But at the same time, its positive result only indicates the presence of antibodies in the body, but not about the presence in it of the virus itself.

In the early stages of the disease, when a sufficient number of antibodies are not yet produced, the recombinant immunoblot and ELISA can diagnose hepatitis C negative, while in fact the virus has already settled in the human body. For this reason, the most reliable method of research is PCR diagnostics (polymerase chain reaction), which allows to detect not only the presence of hepatitis C virus in the blood, but also to determine the degree of viral load.

Treatment of hepatitis C

The doctors' testimonies testify that the disease is curable, only the main thing is to timely recognize its presence and consult a doctor. The choice of the course of treatment is always individual and depends on the sex of the patient, the genotype of the hepatitis virus, the degree of liver damage. Often prescribe antiviral drugs, as well as medicines, whose action is aimed at enhancing the body's defenses. Apply a combination of two drugs: interferon-alpha and ribavirin. Interferon is a protein that, in response to the hepatitis virus, is produced naturally by the body. The drug strengthens the immune system to fight infection. Ribavirin is a drug that slows down the multiplication of the virus. For the treatment of patients with complicated or severe course of the disease, as a rule, protease inhibitors ("Boceprevir", "Insivek") are also prescribed. These drugs have antiviral activity, which greatly complicates the process of replication of the virus.

One of the newest developments in the field of antiviral therapy of hepatitis C is cofosbuvir, which is an inhibitor of RNA polymerase, which makes it practically impossible for the virus to grow in liver cells. Medical tests showed high effectiveness of the drug and confirmed the safety of its use.

Results of treatment

In general, treatment of almost 100% of patients infected with viruses of the 2nd and 3rd genotypes results in complete recovery. While the effectiveness of the fight against the hepatitis C virus of the first genotype is only 50%. The probability of recovery depends on the individual characteristics of the disease, the patient himself and the professional qualities of the treating specialist.

Life expectancy of patients with hepatitis C

The virus itself does not represent a mortal danger, it only facilitates the course of pathological processes shortening the life of a sick person. It is impossible to designate a single time interval for all infected people when the destruction occurring in the body leads to death. With a disease such as hepatitis C, life expectancy depends on many factors, including:

• the route of transmission of the virus;

Age and sex of the patient;

· The state of immunity;

Duration of infection;

· Timely treatment;

· Maintaining a healthy lifestyle;

· Presence or absence of concomitant chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes mellitus).

In 30% of patients, the progression of the disease can occur 50 years after infection, and therefore these people have all the chances to live long. Also, in 30% of infected time period after hepatitis in its initial stage before the development of liver cirrhosis is less than 20 years. In people who abuse alcohol, cirrhosis develops after 5-8 years. In addition, children and elderly people are severely affected by the disease.

Life of patients with hepatitis C

Patients with hepatitis C must take all necessary measures to avoid infecting healthy people. Also, patients need to adjust their way of life: to limit as much as possible, or, even better, to completely abandon the use of alcohol, not to burden themselves with heavy physical labor, to exclude from the diet sharp and fried dishes.

It is useful to do sports, eat right, eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible. It should be treated with caution to take food supplements and vitamins, which can have a negative effect on the liver. Recommended liver cleansing and supporting hepatoprotectors, homeopathic remedies. Regular analyzes, examinations will help to monitor the viral load. It is important to strengthen immunity by activating the body's defenses to fight the virus. With the diagnosis of "hepatitis C", life expectancy can be increased for each person, for this it is necessary to approach the treatment of ail very seriously and to implement all the recommendations of a specialist.