Blood For The Hepatic's C Virus example essay topic

Hepatitis C has been referred to as a 'Silent Epidemic,' since it usually progresses slowly over many years. Most people who are infected with hepatitis C are not aware of any noticeable symptoms for as long as one to two decades after they are infected. In fact, by the time symptoms appear, the virus has probably already begun to damage the liver. If the liver is injured and stops functioning, death will always be the outcome (Lieber). Liver failure from chronic hepatitis C is one of the most common causes of liver transplants in the United States. Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver's cells and tissues caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Hepatitis C virus is blood-borne, which means it is spread through blood and blood products (Grady). After the discovery of hepatitis A virus in 1973 and hepatitis B in 1963, any cases of acute or chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis without identifiable causes were placed into the category of non-A non-B (NANB) hepatitis (Palmer 108). In 1989, a major breakthrough regarding this mysterious and intriguing disease occurred, the hepatitis C virus was identified. Now, most hepatitis C viruses are believed to be the viruses responsible for about 90 percent of all cases of NANB. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.8% of the U.S. population, or 3.9 million Americans, have been infected with this chronic blood-borne virus. About 50,000 new cases of hepatitis C are estimated to occur in the United States each year.

Without proper and effective treatment the death rate is expected to triple in the next fifteen years (Turkington 9). Seventy-five percent of those infected with the virus will develop chronic hepatitis and half of those people will develop cirrhosis of the liver Due to the fact that Hepatitis C is blood-borne there are many ways a person can contract HCV, and many types of people who are more prone to it than others. The most effective mode of transmission is when an infected persons blood gets into the bloodstream of another person. HCV can only enter the bloodstream by first getting through the protective covering skin, this is called percutaneous route. Common routes of infection include needle stick accidents among healthcare workers, shared needles that are used during body piercing, injecting illegal drugs, and tattooing (Turkington 19). Another common way is through blood transfusions.

Since labs did not start testing blood for the hepatitis C virus until 1990 many people received contaminated blood (Turkington 19). After 1992 blood banks began screening the blood for the hepatic's C virus. According to Dr. Palmer on page 117 she states, that it has been estimated by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that almost 300,000 Americans have contracted HCV prior to the advent of screening of donated blood and blood product for HIV. Today, the incidence of obtaining this virus by receiving a blood transfusion is approximately 1 in 200,000 units of blood donors. In essence, the likelihood of contacting HCV from blood transfusion has been minuscule since 1992.

The reason that this small risk still exists is that when a person initially becomes infected with HCV for a short period of time, known as the window period, the HCV antibody is not detectable in the blood. If this person donates blood during the window period, her blood will carry HCV, but it will not be detectable. Dr... Palmer recommends anyone who received a blood transfusion prior to 1992 be tested for HCV. According to Cohen and Gish the HCV virus can live outside the body for three to four hours and is not easily killed with chlorine bleach. Therefore, other means of transmission are shared personal grooming items such as razors, toothbrushes, scissors and manicuring equipment, which may carry blood residue.

Lastly is unprotected sex. The virus is present in the menstrual blood of infected women, so sexual intercourse at this time creates a potentially hazardous situation. There have been reports of transmission of HCV through sexual intercourse outside menses and between males, but there is current debate as to whether this is actually possible without the presence of a skin or tissue tear or some other disease that provide an opening in the skin of both the infected person and potential recipient. Most people are surprised to learn they have hepatitis C. Many people believe, they were never at risk for acquiring the virus. They, therefore, cannot imagine how they contracted it. There are a wide variety of symptoms that one, who is infected with hepatitis C, can experience while in the different stages of the virus.

The first symptoms occur between six to twelve weeks of contact with the virus (Hoofnagle). The most common are flu like symptoms. They are fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, fever, chills, headaches, sore throat, and joint pain (Turkington 34). These symptoms last only for about a week so many people ignore them and go back to their normal lives. Once most people become infected with acute hepatitis C and are untreated, patient will develop chronic hepatitis. In fact 85 percent of infected people develop chronic hepatitis C (Palmer 118).

Chronic hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and liver cancer (Hoofnagle). If Chronic hepatitis does not reverse itself, and a liver transplant is not done the liver will shrink, the kidneys will fail, and the patient will lapse into a coma (Bushie). The main symptom for chronic hepatitis in jaundice. The result is the yellowish appearance of the skin and eyes and the urine will become a brownish color (Leiber). Many patients have complained of red itchy rash on their bodies and pain in their lung and abdominal areas (Bushie).

The limbs often swell, and many experience brain fogs, where they forget what is happening around them. There are many symptoms that hepatitis C shares with other viruses, this is what makes it difficult to diagnose. After the diagnosis is made from the necessary blood tests, the doctor will perform a liver biopsy to determine the extent of inflammation and damage in the liver.