Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the blood-borne Hepatitis C virus (HCV). 

Hepatitis C is an important health problem that around 70 million people worldwide are struggling with. In Turkey, it is estimated that about one in every 100 people, that is 750 thousand people, has Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a significant disease because it can cause liver failure, and today medications that provide a complete cure for Hepatitis C have come into use.

 

How Is It Transmitted?

1. Transfusion of blood and blood products that have not been screened for infection risks,
2. Sharing personal hygiene items (such as toothbrushes, razors or nail clippers) that have blood infected with the hepatitis C virus on them
3. Dental procedures performed with instruments that have not been properly sterilized,
4. Use of intravenous materials such as injection needles by more than one person
5. Use of non-sterile medical and cosmetic equipment (such as manicure-pedicure tools) or
6. Getting tattoos and piercings with non-sterile equipment
7. Transplantation of organs infected with the hepatitis C virus 
8. Undergoing dialysis on a hemodialysis machine that has not been checked for infection risks

Although the likelihood of sexual transmission of Hepatitis C is low, bleeding or trauma that may occur during sexual intercourse, or ulcers that may develop due to other infections, can be a cause of transmission.

There is no risk of transmission through hugging and kissing, sharing food or drinks with a person who has Hepatitis C, or being in the same environment.

Hepatitis C is not transmitted through toilets or swimming pools. Likewise, mosquito bites do not cause hepatitis C.

In pregnant women who are carriers of Hepatitis C, the risk of the virus being passed to the baby is estimated at less than 10%, but at which stage of pregnancy this transmission occurs has not yet been clearly determined.

No risk has been identified in a mother who is a Hepatitis C carrier breastfeeding her baby. However, breastfeeding may be paused in situations such as cracked or bleeding nipples or a very high viral load in the mother.

 

Symptoms

The symptoms of Hepatitis C infection vary depending on whether the virus causes an acute or chronic condition.

Acute disease may cause symptoms such as the following:

1. Flu-like symptoms (muscle aches and high fever)
2. Constant feeling of fatigue
3. Loss of appetite
4. Abdominal pain
5. Dark-colored urine
6. Nausea
7. Rarely, jaundice

In acute infection, the virus is cleared within 6 months in about one third of people, while in about 70% the infection becomes chronic; sudden liver failure is rare.

In cases where the Hepatitis C virus causes chronic disease, the first symptoms may be mild fatigue and some cognitive problems. However, years after these first symptoms, the virus can cause cirrhosis and subsequently liver failure.

 

Diagnostic Methods

Hepatitis C is usually diagnosed using 2 blood tests: the antibody test and the PCR test. Results are usually available within 2 weeks. The antibody becomes positive in 8-11 weeks; after a recent close contact, HCV RNA should be tested even if the antibody is negative; active infection is confirmed by RNA.

In addition, although not specific to the disease, a number of blood tests (such as ALT, AST and albumin) to evaluate liver function and ultrasonographic examinations are of great importance in monitoring the course of the disease.

 

Treatment Methods

Two medications approved by the FDA in the United States have been proven to be extremely effective against the disease, and experts state that with these medications having come into use in Northern Cyprus as well, Hepatitis C can be completely cured.

With these new medications, the aim is to completely cure Hepatitis C, probably with one or two tablets a day over a three-month course of treatment, and also to eliminate the risk of cirrhosis caused by Hepatitis C.

In addition, in liver failure resulting from cirrhosis caused by the disease, liver transplantation can be used in some patients, but after a while the infection can also affect the newly transplanted liver.

 

What Should Hepatitis C Carriers Pay Attention To?

Hepatitis C virus carriers need to know that, even if they are not ill, they can pass the disease on to others.

It is therefore important for them to take precautions in contact with other people. These patients need to be under regular medical follow-up. Having liver function tests twice a year, avoiding alcohol, and consulting a doctor if they have to take any medication for any reason are also among the necessary measures to protect their health.

 

Ways of Prevention

There is not yet an approved vaccine against the Hepatitis C virus. Individuals in society need to be made aware of how to protect themselves. Unsafe sexual intercourse should be avoided, and great care should be taken to ensure that the instruments used in procedures that can break the skin barrier, such as tattoos, manicures, pedicures and piercings, are sterile.

To have your test done in Northern Cyprus, please contact our Nicosia or Kyrenia branch. We wish you good health!