ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Hepatitis C

What is hepatitis c?

4 May 2021

Produced by an infection of the hepatitis C virus, called HCV, which causes liver inflammation that can seriously injure the liver. Its contagion mechanism is through infected blood that enters the bloodstream of a healthy person.

Previously, there were no effective medications to cure it, there were only drugs with serious side effects that sought to prevent the progression of the disease.

Today new treatment options have emerged that cure hepatitis C through oral medicines in a few months.

Signs and symptoms Hepatitis C

When hepatitis C becomes chronic, it is possible that it does not show symptoms for many years, doing so until the liver damage is severe, and may include symptoms such as:

  • Jaundice.
  • Dark urine.
  • Itch.
  • Swollen legs.
  • Weight loss.
  • Speech problems and mental disorders.
  • Vascular problems.
  • Bleeding.
  • Bruising.
  • Tiredness and weakness.
  • Lack of appetite.
  • Somnolescence.
  • Ascites.

Potential risks:

Having received blood transfusions or a transplant before 1990.

  • Frequent hemodialysis treatment.
  • Being born in the forties, fifties, and sixties.
  • Intravenous drug addiction.
  • Suffer from AIDS
  • Tattoos or piercings.

Chronic hepatitis C progressively affects the liver and over the years it can cause:

  • Liver failure.
  • Cirrhosis: scar tissue in the liver that makes it dysfunctional.
  • Cancer.

Diagnosis and treatment Hepatitis C

Once your doctor analyzes your symptoms and clinical history, they will perform a physical examination and request a blood test to determine if you have hepatitis C.

After confirming the diagnosis, it will be necessary to undergo tests to evaluate liver damage, being the most common:

  • MRI.
  • Transient elastography.
  • Liver biopsy.

Pharmacological treatment focuses on the consumption of antivirals, whose function is to eliminate the virus from your body and prevent the damage from increasing.

When the pathology is very advanced and the liver is already dysfunctional, the only option is a liver transplant.

At Saludora Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments Hepatitis C

Internal medicine
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • cun.es
  • topdoctors.es
  • cdc.gov
  • medigraphic.com
  • González GYJ, García RI, García FWO. Diagnóstico serológico de la infección por el virus c de la hepatitis (parte II). Enf Infec Microbiol. 2021;41(2):81-85.
  • Caro FMT, Ortega SG, Martén MD, et al. Caracterización clínica, humoral, laparoscópica e histológica de pacientes con anticuerpos contra el virus de la hepatitis C. MediSan. 2020;24(04):641-652.
  • Aguila-Rubido JC, van de Klundert MAA, Michel ML. Terapias contra la hepatitis B crónica: desafíos y oportunidades. Biotecnol Apl. 2019;36(1):1401-1410.
  • Velbes MPE, Mas MMZ, Nodarse CH. Evolución terapéutica de la hepatitis crónica por virus C. Rev cubana med. 2018;57(4):1-14.

How can we help you?

    The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the Saludora Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.