Hepatitis C is one of the worst liver diseases, it affects more that 30.000 people each year, and millions are carrying the hepatitis C virus in their bodies. Unfortunately it also causes quite a large number of deaths.
There are 6 types of hepatitis viruses, and all of them affect the liver in one way or another. Hepatitis C is the most dangerous type.
The hepatitis C virus causes the liver to inflammate, and if it is not treated it can lead to liver cancer. It is transmitted by blood to blood contact with an infected person - if you share the same needle in an injection, have sex with a virus carrier, or if you were born from a mother that has the virus. You can't get the hepatitis C virus if you touch, hug or kiss someone that has it.
There are two main types of hepatitis C - acute and chronic.
The acute hepatitis C virus becomes active 6 months after the infection with it. It can be detected if a blood analysis is performed but surprisingly it has almost no signs and symptoms. Only a few patients with hepatitis C experience abdominal pain, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Aproximately a quarter of the acute hepatitis C patients naturally eliminate the virus from their bodies, but the remaining three quarters develop chronic hepatitis C. A few years ago doctors did nothing against acute hepatitis C and waited to see if the virus is eliminated, but recent research has shown that if it is treated the chances that the virus disappears increases.
Chronic hepatitis C appears if the virus is not eliminated in the first 6 months. It has almost no detectable symptoms and in most cases it is discovered accidentally during tests on the patient. But when the liver gets seriously damaged some symptoms do occur. The most common ones are fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, headache, nausea, low appetite, muscle and joint pain.
The next phase of hepatitis C is called cirrhosis, and its symptoms are related to the fact that the liver is not functioning properly anymore. Patients with cirrhosis are bruised and bleed easily, experience jaundice, bone pain, and other symptoms that vary from one patient to another.
It is very hard to cure hepatitis C. If it is discovered while it's in the acute phase then the chances increase, but in its chronic phase only few are cured.
The most common hepatitis C treatment is a number of injections with a drug called pegylated interferon alfa, which is combined with ribavirin pills. These two substances help the body clear the virus, but they are not always effective and they have several side effects among which you can find anemia and fatigue.
If the disease has advanced too much and its damage to the liver is irreversible then a liver transplant must be done. The bad thing about this is that it is pretty hard to find a liver that fits because a large number of people need this transplant and there are too few donors.
Since so little can be done against this terrible disease you should always beware getting infected with it. Under no circumstances share the same needle with anyone and stay away from sexual encounters with strangers. We can only hope that the future will come with a cure for hepatitis C.
If you want to find out more resources about hepatitis or even about hepatitis c information you should visit this website http://www.hepatitis-guide.com
General hepatitis C information
Hepatitis C is the most encountered liver disease in both the USA and Europe. It is a viral disease caused by a family of viruses that can inflammate the liver. If it is not discovered and treated it can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, which can happen because hepatitis C usually doesn't show any signs and symptoms until it's too late.
It is important to know all the hepatitis C information as you can, in order to be able to prevent the illness and to know what to do in case you notice any of the symptoms in you or in a family member.
As mentioned before, the cause of hepatitis C is an infection with a virus. This virus can be spread to other people by blood to blood contact. You can get it if you share the same syringe with someone that has it, or by having sex with an infected person. You can't get hepatitis C by hugging, kissing, or touching people.
Once the virus enter the body it can take years for it to make its presence felt. Many have it and don't even know about it, some find out during a routine consultation.
At some people acute hepatitis begins right after the infection, and lasts for 6 months. In this phase, no damage is done to the liver and no symptoms appear at more than 50% of the patients. When symptoms do occur, they may include pain in the abdomen, jaundice or loss of appetite.
Some eliminate the virus from their bodies during these first 6 months, but at most people it remains in the blood. If the 6 months pass and the virus is still in the body then chronic hepatitis starts. Chronic hepatitis evolves fast, and unfortunately, it also shown almost no symptoms, so it's hard to detect it too until it already caused damage to the liver. But when the liver starts to malfunction, many symptoms appear. The most common ones are fever, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, headaches and depression.
It is important to start the treatment as soon as hepatitis C is detected, because after the chronic phase it can progress to cirrhosis, and the liver almost stops functioning.
The virus can be eliminated from the body if action is taken quickly. Hepatitis C therapy is treated moslty with a combination of two drugs - interferons and ribavirin. These drugs can have severe side effects, and they may fail to clear the virus in some cases, so doctors advice patients to choose the therapy method carefully.
There are many support groups for those infected with hepatitis C, that provide them with a lot of accurate hepatitis C information and with the latest medical tehniques used to cure the illness. Also, a lot of hepatitis C information can be found on the Internet, covering all the topics from causes and symptoms to treatment.
If you want to find out more resources about hepatitis or even about hepatitis c information you should visit this website http://www.hepatitis-guide.com
H5N1 is getting closer to affecting humans
People believed that only birds could get affected by the A H5N1 influenza that is why they called it 'The bird flu'.
Influenza A affects naturally the wild birds, which only carry the virus and present no symptoms, but they transmit the virus to the poultry (chicken, turkey) which manifest the disease and 90% die.
Now, the virus has mutated and it can be transmitted to the human race from the poultry that shed the virus in their nasal secretions, saliva and feathers.
In the beginning the virus affected the poultry from Asia and in 1997 the virus transmitted to humans during an outbreak of bird flu among poultry in Hong Kong. 18 persons were affected and 6 died of a severe respiratory illness.
People who live very close to their poultry are exposed to the risk of being affected of a mutant species of the virus.
Some domestic birds do not have the symptoms of the infection (like ducks), they are only carriers of H5N1 and can transmit the virus further to other animals and to the owner.
According to World Health Organization, only in Asia, since 31 October 2006, 256 people got sick due to a direct contact with affected birds, and 156 of these persons died.
As time went by, H5N1 became resistant to some drugs used in the treatment of flu, and also started to infect mice and cats.
Due to the high rate of transmission, millions of poultry have been slaughtered in the effort of stopping the virus from infecting other birds and even humans.
Thailand had to face the fact that the virus can pass from human to human, when a whole family died because of bird flu. This causes more problems because an efficient vaccine has not yet been developed and this could lead to a global pandemic.
There are known some symptoms of bird flu: headache, fever, pain in the muscles, sore throat, chest pains, breathing problems, lethargy and conjunctivitis.
Due to the virus mutation, even those who have already suffered the disease and have defeated it are not safe, because their body will not be able to recognize the virus due to its change, and so, the antibodies the body made against flu last time will not work.
This is why people must be immunized every year with a new improved vaccine.
In the world now there exists also type B and C of influenza virus. The C one is not so dangerous, but the B one can cause more serious illness and seasonal epidemics.
The most dangerous one is type A, due to its fast process of antigenic drift (mutations).
Even though the media and the public got tired of hearing the same old thing about a possible global pandemic, it is the scientist's and government's responsibility to continue informing everyone about the evolution of the virus and of the possible risks related to it.
So, if you want to find out more about bird flu prevention or even about symptoms of bird flu please click this link http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/