Manufactures bile, an enzyme used in breaking
down fats and in waste disposal
What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a disease of liver caused by the hepatitis C virus
(HCV), which is found in the blood of persons who have this disease.
How do you catch hepatitis C?
1. People who inject drugs regularly.
2. People who have ever injected drugs, even if only on one occasion
during their youthful party years. In fact, the first injecting
experience is arguably the most risky
because it is likely to take place in the company of someone who
has injected before;
1. the decision to use is probably unplanned so no provision will
have been made for individual sterile needles, syringes and other
injecting gear; and few people inject themselves or go first in
the queue the first time they use injected drugs.
3. People who have spent time in prisons or other correctional facilities
where the many risk factors currently include zero access
to sterile tattooing or injecting equipment. Research findings consistently
show that rates of hepatitis C infection among
prison inmates, are ten to twenty times higher than for the general
population in the western world.
4. People who have had tattoos or piercings in unsterile conditions.
5. Some migrant groups from nations with limited health budgets,
that re-use therapeutic injecting equipment and the like, or that
did so in the recent past – especially war-torn countries
and those where mass vaccination campaigns were carried out.
6. People receiving unscreened blood or blood products through the
public health system
What are main symptoms of Hepatitis C?
Patients with acute hepatitis C are frequently asymptomatic (meaning
that they have no symptoms), even when liver tests are abnormal.
Soon after contracting the infection many people have a flu-like
illness with fatigue, fever, muscular aches and pain, nausea and
vomiting. About 10% of patients become jaundiced (their skin turns
yellow). Generally these symptoms resolve and the patient has no
symptoms of liver disease for many years. Symptoms may occur from
two weeks to six months after exposure but usually within two months
How it is diagnosed?
There are several blood tests that can be done to determine if you
have been infected with HCV. The following are the types of tests
your doctor may order and the purpose for each:
a) Anti-HCV (antibody to HCV)
EIA (enzyme immunoassay) or CIA (enhanced chemiluminescence immunoassay)
Test is usually done first. If positive, it should be confirmed
RIBA (recombinant immunoblot assay)
A supplemental test used to confirm a positive EIA test
Anti-HCV does not tell whether the infection is new (acute), chronic
(long-term) or is no longer present.
b) Qualitative tests to detect presence or absence of virus (HCV
RNA)
c) Quantitative tests to detect amount (titer) of virus (HCV RNA)
How do you know you’ve got it?
When eventually diagnosed, many will, at last, find an explanation
for their personal experience of fatigue, low-level malaise, alcohol
intolerance and generally reduced quality of life.
Abnormal liver function tests or a swollen liver, in the absence
of other obvious causes, will sound the alarm bells for most physicians.
A simple blood test for hepatitis C antibodies determines whether
a patient has been exposed to the virus. A second, more expensive
test can confirm the presence of actual virus in the blood –
and it usually does.
Can you have a "false positive"
anti-HCV test result?
Yes. A false positive test means the test looks as if it is positive,
but it is really negative. This happens more often in persons who
have a low risk for the disease for which they are being tested.
For example, false positive anti-HCV tests happen more often in
persons such as blood donors who are at low risk for hepatitis C.
Therefore, it is important to confirm a positive anti-HCV test with
a supplemental test as most false positive anti-HCV tests are reported
as negative on supplemental testing.
How many people have hepatitis C
The World Health Organisation estimates that about 3 per cent of
the world’s population has ever been infected with hepatitis
C virus and some 170 million people are chronic carriers
Is there any cure for Hepatitis C?
The majority of people who are exposed to the virus will go on to
become chronically infected – carriers for life. Some choose
to undergo a rigorous six to twelve month treatment programme with
interferon/ribavirin combination therapy. With the new, long-life
interferons and depending on the infecting viral genotype, they
currently have a 40 to 70 per cent chance of permanently clearing
detectable virus from their blood and livers.
What are the side effects of combination (ribavirin + interferon)
treatment?
Interferon side effects may include tiredness, hair loss, low blood
count, trouble with thinking, moodiness, and depression. Severe
side effects are rare (seen in less than 2 out of 100 persons).
These include thyroid disease, depression with suicidal thoughts,
seizures, acute heart or kidney failure, eye and lung problems,
hearing loss, and blood infection. Although rare, deaths have occurred
due to liver failure or blood infection, mostly in persons with
cirrhosis. An important side effect of interferon is worsening of
liver disease with treatment, which can be severe and even fatal.
Interferon dosage must be reduced in up to 40 out of 100 persons
because of severity of side effects, and treatment must be stopped
in up to 15 out of 100 persons. Pregnant women should not be treated
with interferon.
Ribavirin can cause serious anemia (low red blood cell count) and
can be a serious problem for persons with conditions that cause
anemia, such as kidney failure. In these persons, combination therapy
should be avoided or attempts should be made to correct the anemia.
Anemia caused by ribavirin can be life-threatening for persons with
certain types of heart or blood vessel disease. Ribavirin causes
birth defects and pregnancy should be avoided during treatment.
Patients and their healthcare providers should carefully review
the product manufacturer information prior to treatment.
What is the Alternative Treatment for chronic hepatitis C?
Our Dr.Harish Verma's Alternative Treatment is composed of three group of Ayurvedic herbs,
which are given in combination to provide quick relief if a
person is anti-HCV positive and has elevated liver enzyme levels.
Group First contains Antiviral herbs:
Group second contains Hepatoprotective herbs
Group third contains Liver Detox herbs.
