 hepC treatment
Hepatitis C is called as AIDS of Pakistan ….. AS the Aids is spreading in whole world…. We are having even more number of hep C cases
We all know how it spreads..
Blood
Sexual contact
Now may it be shared syringes,blood transfusion,tattooing,teeth extraction,illegal sex , razon sharing even tooth brushes if ur gum bleeds….
The important point is hep C has a chronic course meaning by causing liver damage over years….
15%of patients only have acute illness…
60-75%patient have chronic
It is said that 10-20yr are taken as progressive liver damage occurs to cause full blown liver end stage disease…
Mostly patients donot know they have hepC until and unless they donate blood and get screened these days…
All the personnal who had blood transfusion before 1980's in Pakistan can have hep
C… blood was not screened then…
When u come to know a patient is hepC positive it is by Anti-hepC antibodies , that is the immune defence being created when virus entered the body to fight it…and then it lingers on.. IgM and Ig G are done..IgG shows infection is old…
Then liver test are done…if elevated its confirmed…enzymes of liver are tested..
Then what is required to know is if the virus is active now??? And how much is its load ?? how much it is present then HCV RNA is done by a test PCR(polymerase chain reaction) that tell u activity of virus….its an active disease or not..
Liver biopsy: liver tissue sample is taken to assess the dgree of damage done…
The treatment criteria:
Its mostly recommended in patient with on going disease in liver that is moderate in nature…(whether they have symptoms or not)
Patient with mild disease and enzymes not raised and no sign of ongoing disease are treated on individual basis …they want treatment then done..otherwise "on watch"
Patient in which liver is damaged to the extent that all its fuctions have deteriorated and now more than 80% destroyed treatment not done…
Previously liver biopsy was the rule to be done before treatment … nowadays it is not it says if patient has enzymes raised and seems that not much decompensted liver(function is there) then can do treatment…
genotype 1 2 3 are prevalent... unfortunately in pakistan 1 is more.... more better treatment response is in 2, 3 types....
only disease course is prolonged... no cure 100 %yet found
Treatment available:
Interferones are given theses days new pegylated interferone are given 24-48week course
Antiviral drug are given … ribavirin … alone not effective …good with interferones..
It's a costly treatment….
Patient who are not treated:
Serial liver enzymes are to be done if mild disease…
Water intake is improved
Juices and fruits
Prevention from constipation
Prevention from infections…
Also a new conservative therapy says to give these patients anti-oxidants(these are the substances that kill oxygen radicles that kill a cell)
Like selenium,lipoic acid and vitamin C,E etc….
liver transplant...cost about a crore ..problem is virus is in blood and recurr in new liver
Sexual relations…
Unprotected sexual course between spouses is allowed if the spouse is monogamous(only and only one sex partner) …. The rate of transmission to other spouse is not documented… some says less than 1percent others says it so less that not documented but monogamy is the rule…
oral sex should not be done
the defence bacteria and Ph of vagina is different from mouth(this is why i say ppl with latent/unmanifested infections may give infection to wife via oro-penile contact and not know themselves)
Mother can absolutely feed a child if she is hepC…… even Hep B is controversial… but HEPC mother can breastfeed 100%..
Vaginal delivery of a hepC mother has a chance of less than 5%percent transmission when the membrane ruptures and birth canal exposure..
C-section is done … chance of transmission less than 1percent… |
boby...
herbal treatment of hepatitus c