AN OVERVIEW OF HEPATITIS C AND ITS RISKS

AN OVERVIEW OF HEPATITIS C AND ITS RISKS Jul,27,2020

Hepatitis is characterized by a liver inflammation and is caused due to alcoholism, drug abuse, blood transfusions, or even through a sexual intercourse no matter how rare that may seem. Hepatitis C, acronym HCV, is a blood-borne virus. Oftentimes, it is the practice of having sex with more than one partner, which leaves a person at risk of getting infected by HCV virus. Besides, the virus can be transmitted through needles as well or other tools used for injecting drugs into the body.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that ‘baby boomers’ born amid 1945 to 1965 are more prone to have the infection and that all American adults who are born during that period should undergo an HCV test. The concerns of Hepatitis C can be unforeseen including a liver damage, liver cirrhosis, or even liver cancer. Yet people suffering from Hepatitis C may not even show symptoms of the disease for years. That is one of the reasons why you should get a diagnosis for Hepatitis as soon as any symptoms are noticed.

For people of a certain lineage, Hepatitis C may be a short-term infection but for most, it gradually turns into a long-term one. It usually takes two to three decades for people having chronic HCV to gradually develop liver cirrhosis. The liver is an important organ that process nutrients, filters the blood, and battles with viral infections. This means that the health concerns of Hepatitis C are grave. If you do not take proper care, cirrhosis may lead to liver failure.

A vaccine is yet to be invented for curing the disease, but newer drugs are improving the HCV treatment, which can possibly generate a cure in due course. If you feel that you have symptoms of HCV, or may have transmitted the virus somehow, you should be seeking medical care for improving your health.

It is quite possible to be infected by Hepatitis C although it is not a sexually transmitted disease as such. Since sexual intercourse can transmit Hepatitis C virus, getting tested for STD from an affordable health clinic can possibly help to know your present sexual health status. This would also help to deter the possibility of spreading the virus to your sex partner.

Book an Appointment

    About the Author

    Dr. Ghassan M. Al-Jazayrly, MD

    A graduate of University of Aleppo Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Al-Jazayrly or, as he is colloquially known: Dr. AJ, is an oncologist and hematologist of a Complete Care Community Health Center (CCCHC) with more than 36 years of experience. In recent years, he’s been involved with a non profit organization known as Every Woman Counts (EWC) which provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to California’s underserved populations in order to eliminate health disparities for low-income individuals.

    To Book an Appointment

    We are standing by to assist you.

    Please call 310-706-2594