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Let’s take a look at hepatitis C, the “silent killer”.
Hepatitis C is almost asymptomatic in the early stages
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The incubation period of acute hepatitis C is 2 to 16 weeks, with an average of 7 weeks. Most hepatitis C patients have no obvious symptoms in the acute phase of infection, but patients may experience mild symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, and abdominal distension because hepatitis C virus camouflages its protein “coat”, making it less susceptible to infection The body’s immune system recognizes it and shuts it out, thereby hiding in the body and continuously damaging the liver. It is for this reason that hepatitis C is known as the “silent killer”.
Because the physical examination generally does not screen for hepatitis C, patients infected with hepatitis C are not easy to be found. In the early stage of the disease, most patients have normal liver function tests in the physical examination and usually have no symptoms; there are also Some patients only have elevated transaminases, which are often mistaken for fatigue, drinking, etc., thus delaying diagnosis and treatment, and some even develop liver cirrhosis and liver cancer before they are discovered.
There is no vaccine for hepatitis C,
High-risk groups should be screened in time
Most Chinese hepatitis C patients are not diagnosed and treated in time. If not treated early, 55% to 85% of hepatitis C patients will develop chronic hepatitis, 10% to 15% of patients may develop cirrhosis and decompensated cirrhosis 20 years after infection, and some patients will progress for liver cancer.
Since there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C virus infection, the Hospital screening. Hepatitis C virus is mainly transmitted through blood and body fluids, and its high-risk groups include the following.
1. Blood transfusions and organ transplant recipients prior to 1992.
2. Maintaining hemodialysis.
3. Anyone who has shared a syringe with others.
4. Those who use non-sterile dental instruments, endoscopy, invasive procedures and acupuncture.
5. Intravenous drug users.
6. People living with HIV.
7. Infants born to mothers infected with hepatitis C virus.
8. Exposure to HCV-positive blood.
9. Unsafe sex.
10. Those who use non-sterile instruments for tattooing, piercing, or acupuncture.
Hepatitis C is curable,
< strong>The earlier the standard treatment, the better
It is found in the daily consultation that the vast majority of patients show nervousness after being diagnosed. A series of negative emotions such as anxiety and even loss of confidence in treatment. In fact, hepatitis C is a curable disease, and with pegylated interferon alfa combined with ribavirin regimen, 70% to 80% of hepatitis C The patient is curable.
The good news is that in recent years, many companies have been listed abroad.A direct antiviral drug against hepatitis C virus, some of which have also been listed in my country, further improve the cure rate of hepatitis C.
But it is worth noting that the prevention and treatment of hepatitis C requires early screening, early detection, and early treatment, and to minimize the transmission of hepatitis C to the liver. harm caused. The earlier treatment, the lower the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer, and the higher the chance of cure. If treatment is delayed, it will be too late to develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Content source: “Doctor’s Advice – Words from the Heart of More than 100 Experts” published by People’s Health Publishing House
Editor-in-chief of the book: Qiao Jie, Jin Changxiao
The author of this article: Liang Jingjin, Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking University Third Hospital
Reprinted with permission from the WeChat public account of “Peking University Third Hospital”
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