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Author:
Ryan Fyfe

I am Hepatitis C a form of hepatitis liver inflammation that is caused by a virus known on the street as HCV. Before HCV was discovered in 1989, they used to refer to me as a related name to my little brothers, "non-A-non-B hepatitus". A laughing stock of the virus world, but that all changed in 1989. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of people are able to deal with me and develop immunity. That doesn't speak for the rest, and also 15 to 20 percent of them that will show acute signs of the me, Hepatitus C.

It is known that for each 100 chronic Hepatitis C patients, 20 will develop liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis is a nasty scarring of the liver, which can progress into Liver cancer. I have infected over 180 million people around the world, and am now responsible for the majority of liver transplants, Hepatocellular carcinoma and also the major cause of death among HIV co-infected patients.

Most times, people that are carrier me in the chronic state, chronic hepatitis C, will have no symptoms. This doesn't speak well for myself, but without further delay over time I can cause long term damage to the liver. This is due to my blood borne nature. I work slowly and severe liver damage may not develop until 10-40 years after my initial infection. Mixing things up, my symptoms vary based on each individual carrier. Often times they will resemble flu symptoms which include: - body aches - loss of appetite - headaches - diarrhea - fatigue - nausea - nightsweats - abdominal pain - upper right quadrant pain

Because, like I mentioned, these symptoms resemble the flue, most people are not aware that they have me until they visit a doctor and have a physical exam. Even then sometimes I can go unnoticed unless they have blood work done. Cases often exist, where a individuals will go to donate bllod or plasma, and will return positive results to a HCV test.

Needle sharing, drug sharing, and unprotected sex are just a few ways in which I can spread rampantly. It's as simple as blood-to-blood contact. Wherever that exists I also exist. Things like piercings and tattoo needles are some of my favorites.

About the author:

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Hepatitis C Spot - http://www.hepatitis-c-spot.com, which is the best site on the internet for all Hepatitis C related information.

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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Hepatitis... Alcoholic Liver Disease Alcoholic liver disease occurs due to an acute or chronic inflammation of the liver due to alcohol abuse. This disease usually occurs after a prolonged use of alcohol. In the United States 10% of men and 3% of women suffer from problems related to alcoholic consumption. The occurrence of the disease depends on the amount of alcohol consumed and the duration it is consumed in. The greater the duration and greater the amount leads to a greater chance for liver disease to occur. Other factors include the toxicity of ethanol to the liver, susceptibility to the disease, and genetic factors. Studies have shown that women may be more susceptible than men. The disease starts as inflammation (hepatitis) and progresses to fatty liver and cirrhosis. Alcoholism generally leads to three pathologically different liver diseases. They are the fatty liver ( Steatosis), hepatitis and cirrhosis. The disease will not show any symptoms until it advances. Complications that arise are alcoholic encephalopathy and portal hypertension. The symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, jaundice, abdominal pain, fever, ascites,weight gain, mental confusion, excessive thirst, dry mouth and fatigue. Other symptoms are vomiting blood, bloody bowel movements, paleness, fainting, lethargic movement, fluctuating mood, impaired judgement and confusion. Liver function tests and liver biopsy are the common tests done to detect the disease. Treatment includes the discontinuation of alcoholic use, providing high calorie, high carbohydrate diet to break down the protein present in the patient’s body. Counseling and rehabilitaion may prove necessary for the patients. Liver transplants become necessary if the situation advances to cirrhosis. Once the patient becomes medically stable, there is a need to...