Hepatitis C - The Silent Killer

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years. In some cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to develop liver failure, liver cancer or life-threatening esophageal and gastric varices


TODAY if you have health problems such as flu-like and may include following symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Nausea or poor appetite
• Muscle and joint pains
• Tenderness in the area of your liver

This is because of the problems you may be infected with an unknown disease is there and there were times when it has reached a chronic stage.

It is difficult to detect infection by the patient's own because it always strikes without bringing specific symptoms or prolonged.

The disease is also categorized as a silent killer because many patients do not know they are infected themselves until many years but there is a reach tens of years.

Based on statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 60 percent to 70 percent of hepatitis C patients will suffer from chronic liver disease, while five percent to 20 percent will suffer from cirrhosis, while one per cent to five per cent will die from cirrhosis or liver cancer.


Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is spread when you come in contact with contaminated blood.

• Blood transfusions and organ transplants before 1992. Improved blood-screening tests became available in 1992. Before that year, it was possible to unknowingly contract hepatitis C through a blood transfusion or organ transplant.
• Shared needles. HCV can also spread through sharing contaminated needles when injecting drugs.
• Childbirth. A small number of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C acquire the infection during childbirth.
• Sexual contact. In rare cases, HCV may be transmitted sexually.

If you receive a diagnosis of hepatitis C, your doctor will likely recommend certain lifestyle changes. These measures will help keep you healthy longer and protect the health of others as well:

• Stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol speeds the progression of liver disease.
• Avoid medications that may cause liver damage. Review your medications with your doctor, including the over-the-counter medications you take. Your doctor may recommend avoiding certain medications.
• Stay healthy. Make healthy lifestyle choices each day. For example, choose a diet full of fruits and vegetables, exercise most days of the week, and get enough sleep so that you wake feeling rested.
• Help prevent others from coming in contact with your blood. Cover any wounds you have and don't share razors or toothbrushes. Don't donate blood, body organs or semen, and advise health care workers that you have the virus.