Don't be afraid of Hepatitis C - let's find out for sure!

Have you ever heard of Hepatitis C? Maybe yes, maybe not. It really is like a silent enemy in our body. Because, many people do not even know that they have this disease, because in the early stages it hardly shows any symptoms. But over time, it can cause serious damage to our liver. But the good news is, now there are new drugs that can completely cure this disease. So let's be aware of this.

Simply put, what is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a viral infection. This virus (Hepatitis C virus - HCV) directly attacks the liver, which is one of the most important organs in our body. Imagine that our body is a big factory, and the main manager of it is the liver. So what this virus does is damage the liver cells and cause inflammation there. If left untreated, this damage can gradually increase and the liver can even fail completely.

What are the symptoms of this disease?

This is where many people get confused. Because most people infected with hepatitis C don't have any symptoms in the early stages. But some people may develop some symptoms as the virus enters the body and the body begins to fight it off (this is what we call the "acute" phase). But these symptoms are similar to those of a common cold, so many people ignore them.

Serious symptoms only appear when the disease has been present for a long time (this is called the "chronic" phase) and the liver begins to be damaged. Let's look at these two separately.

How is this disease transmitted from person to person?

This is the most important thing. Hepatitis C is only transmitted when the blood of an infected person enters the body of a healthy person. That means it is not transmitted through saliva, sweat, tears, sharing food, or hugging.

These are the times when this disease is most likely to spread:

• Sharing the same syringes and needles for injecting drugs: This is the main reason for the spread of this disease in Sri Lanka and around the world.
• Getting a tattoo or body piercing using unsterilized equipment: It is very risky to get these things done in places that are not clean and do not properly clean the equipment.
• From an infected mother to her child: The disease can be transmitted from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy or childbirth.
• Health care accidents: A healthy person is stabbed in the hospital with something, such as a needle stained with the blood of an infected patient.
• Sharing personal equipment: If someone else uses something like a razor or toothbrush that has been used by an infected person and has blood on it, it can be passed on to someone else.
• Getting a blood transfusion before 1992: At that time, the technology to test blood for hepatitis C was not developed. Therefore, there is some risk for those who received blood at that time. However , now all donated blood is rigorously tested for this, so there is no need to worry about it.

What happens inside the body if you get hepatitis C?

When the hepatitis C virus enters the body, not everyone's body responds in the same way.

• In some people (about 30 out of 100), the body's immune system is able to fight off the virus and completely defeat it within a few months. In that case, the disease simply goes away.
• But for most people (about 70 out of 100), the body cannot defeat this virus. After a few months of fighting, the virus becomes permanently lodged in the body. This is what we call chronic hepatitis C infection.

Complications of chronic infection

Chronic infection means that the liver is constantly inflamed. When this damage occurs over many years, healthy liver cells are replaced by scar tissue. This condition is called cirrhosis . When cirrhosis occurs, the liver's function completely breaks down. This is the final stage of liver failure.

Cirrhosis can cause more serious complications:

• Portal Hypertension: Excessive pressure in the veins that bring blood to the liver.
• Liver Cancer: Cirrhosis greatly increases the risk of liver cancer.

How does the doctor diagnose this disease?

If you have these symptoms or suspect you have the disease, see your doctor. He or she will examine you and look for things like yellow eyes and swollen abdomen. Then, they will order several blood tests to confirm the disease.

If these blood tests show that the liver has been damaged, the doctor may also recommend a special scan, such as transient elastography, to measure the extent of the damage.

Is there a treatment? Can it be completely cured?

Yes! It definitely is! This is the most important and exciting news. Years ago, there were treatments for this that had a lot of side effects and weren't very effective. But now there are newer drugs called Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) .

These come in the form of pills. If you take these medications exactly for a period of usually between 2 and 6 months, you can completely cure the disease with a probability of more than 95%. Your doctor will choose the right medicine for you based on the type of virus you have.

However, if you have had the disease for a long time and have severe liver damage (such as cirrhosis), you may need to treat that damage separately even after the virus is eliminated.

Are there any side effects of the treatment?

The side effects of these new DAA drugs are relatively rare. Some people may experience things like:

• Stomach ache
• Diarrhea
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Difficulty breathing

If you have any of these, talk to your doctor about it.

Things you can do during treatment

As someone who has liver damage, you have a great responsibility to protect your liver from further damage while receiving treatment.

• Avoid alcohol completely: Alcohol is one of the liver's biggest enemies. It's best to stop drinking alcohol, not just during treatment, but for life.
• Quit smoking.
• Get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B: This is very important to protect your liver from further viral attacks.
• Follow medical advice exactly: go to clinics at the times prescribed by the doctor, and take your medication exactly as prescribed.

Is there a way to prevent it?

Unfortunately, there is no vaccine yet to prevent hepatitis C. Therefore, the only way to prevent infection is to avoid contact with infected blood. That means,

• Never share needles used to inject drugs.
• If you are getting a tattoo or body piercing, do it only in a place that is very clean and has properly sterilized equipment.
• Do not use someone else's razors or toothbrushes.

You may be surprised and shocked to learn that you have hepatitis C. You may not even know where or how you got it. But rather than worrying about it, knowing that you have the disease is a thousand times better than not knowing. Because now it can be completely cured. The sooner it is detected, the less damage to the liver can be reduced.

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