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News Canada

(NC)-Hepatitis C is an infectious virus that is carried in the blood and harms the liver. About 240,000 Canadians are infected, many of whom are unaware that they even have it. The number of people with hepatitis C is increasing in Canada and around the world, primarily among those who share needles and other drug equipment. An estimated 5,000 Canadians - mostly young people - get this virus each year.
Although the hepatitis C virus has been around for a long time, it was only identified in 1989. It causes inflammation of the liver, which often progresses to cirrhosis (scarring that makes it difficult for the liver to function normally). Of the estimated 5,000 people that are newly infected each year, up to 70 percent experience no symptoms. For some, symptoms may not show up for 20 or 30 years. In the meantime, they may, unknowingly, be infecting others. That is why it is important to know if you are at risk and how to take preventative action.
If you think you have hepatitis C, or that you may be at risk, visit your doctor and ask for the simple blood test for this disease. For more information, contact a health care professional, and visit Health Canada's Web site at www.healthcanada.ca/hepc.


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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... Hepatitis C Treatments Hepatitis C is a condition that causes an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C is a type of hepatitis that has symptoms that closely resemble the flu. For this reason, most people are not aware that they have hepatitis C until they visit a doctor and have a physical exam. This disease can be transmitted through needle sharing, drug sharing, unprotected sex, body piercing, tattooing, and blood transfusion in which the donor was later tested to be hepatitis C positive. Spreading this disease is as simple as blood-to-blood contact. Unlike the other types of hepatitis, hepatitis C has no specific treatments for its symptoms. But your doctor can recommend you to have bed rest drink plenty of fluids. Not only that, a healthy diet and avoidance of alcoholic beverages will also be best for you. If you are experiencing only mild hepatitis C, after following the advice of your doctor, you will begin to feel better in two to three weeks and may completely recover from the symptoms within four to eight weeks. But, if you have chronic hepatitis C, your doctor will use synthetic forms of the protein interferon. This treatment can improve liver function and diminish symptoms. However, this may cause side effects such as fever and headache and may not be applicable to some patients. This is only effective in 10 to 40% of hepatitis C patients. A hepatitis C patient may remain symptom free and develop only a mild condition or may develop the most serious complications of viral hepatitis like cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. That is why if you are experiencing only mild symptoms indicative of hepatitis C, you should consult a physician right away to determine your condition. The sooner you learn about the disease, the better. This way you will...