For a person, the most important question in his life always remains relevant - how to maintain his health and live long. This is not surprising, because the physical and mental state of our body determines our appearance, lifestyle and quality of life. That is why people are increasingly interested in effective methods of improving their health, as well as incurable or intractable diseases. In this article, we will talk about a very insidious and, unfortunately, quite common disease - hepatitis C, as well as how it is transmitted and how much they live with hepatitis C, we will consider methods for its treatment and prevention.
brief information
The causative agents of hepatitis are viruses A, B, C, D and E. The most dangerous varieties of this disease are hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The latter type has a detrimental effect on the liver. The disease is transmitted in different ways: by airborne droplets, through household contact, and so on. In particular, hepatitis C virus is able to penetrate the human body through the bloodstream and through sexual contact. It is for this reason that people who often come in contact with blood (doctors, drug addicts), as well as those who lead an uncontrolled sex life, automatically fall into the risk group.
Statistical data
Today, hepatitis C is not without reason considered a disease of the XXI century. According to statistics, more than 500 million people worldwide are carriers of this infectious disease. According to the forecasts of scientists, over a decade this figure will steadily increase. What is unique is the fact that only 7% of those infected die because of this particular disease. Basically, the cause of the death of many patients is the inappropriate lifestyle and other concomitant diseases, such as obesity or diabetes mellitus.
It is impossible to say for sure how many people live with hepatitis C, because it depends on many factors. Consider them below.
Symptoms of the disease
People call hepatitis C “affectionate killer”, which sounds very frightening. Why such a name? All the insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that it does not manifest itself in the early stages of infection. During the incubation period, which can last from one week to several years, increased fatigue, lethargy, weakness, dizziness, fever, joint pain, as well as problems with the gastrointestinal tract, such as nausea, diarrhea, acute pain in the intestine, are possible. . Much less often, such signs are accompanied by yellowing of the skin and eyeballs. The presence of the latest symptoms should be paid special attention, often they are indicators of the disease.
But even with such signs, the whole problem is that doctors mistakenly attribute them to completely different diseases. So, the disease develops and can be diagnosed only in the late stages of infection, when the internal organs of a person are already affected.
Possibility of timely detection of the virus and self-healing
In modern medicine, it is still possible to diagnose hepatitis C in its initial, acute form. To do this, you need to do a detailed analysis on the amount of certain antibodies in the blood that fight the virus. But it rarely comes to this, so in most cases this infection turns into a chronic one.
However, our body immediately recognizes such harmful cells and begins an active fight against them. If a person has a strong immune system, then self-healing of hepatitis C is possible. This happens in 30% of cases of infection with this virus. However, it is worth noting that the modern way and pace of life often weakens the protective functions of the body. Therefore, in most cases, hepatitis C settles in the human body for many years, most often without showing any symptoms.
The consequences of hepatitis C
As mentioned above, hepatitis C primarily affects liver cells. The chronic form of this disease can lead to serious complications, such as steatosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Consider these terrible consequences in more detail.
- Steatosis - with this development of events, excess fat accumulates in the liver cells.
- Fibrosis - numerous scars form in the liver tissues.
Two such diseases respond to pharmacological treatment.
- Cirrhosis is the most dangerous consequence of hepatitis C and its most extreme degree. This is a pathology in which the structure of the liver is altered, abnormal liver nodes and lobules are formed, the liver loses its original function. The period of development of cirrhosis can last for 20-25 years. Symptoms of such a serious disease are yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, dark enough urine, and discolored feces.
With the development of cirrhosis, the following consequences may occur:
- Spontaneous bleeding - blood coagulation in patients with cirrhosis is very reduced, therefore any, even the smallest wound is very dangerous. In this case, a large loss of blood is possible, because it is very difficult to stop it.
- Drying of the liver - its size is significantly reduced
- Hepatic insufficiency - its development leads to hepatic coma, in other words, to poisoning the body with such toxic substances as phenol and ammonia.
- Encephalopathy - poisoning of the brain with toxins, since the liver can no longer cope with the filtration and destruction of harmful substances
- Ascites - the process of accumulating excess fluid in the abdominal cavity
Cruel statistics report that, mainly, cirrhosis of the liver leads to death. However, such an extremely sad fate can be avoided by observing some simple but strict rules and adhering to the recommendations of doctors.
How many people with hepatitis C live
It all depends on the consciousness of the patient. Indeed, first of all, the treatment of such a disease is a strict and measured regime of the day, in which the patient follows a certain diet with many prohibitions and restrictions, and also leads an active lifestyle. The basic rule for people infected with hepatitis C is an absolute rejection of all existing types of alcohol. It is a determining factor in how many years have lived with hepatitis C. After all, this disease affects the cells of the liver, and alcohol has a big burden on this organ, so you just need to exclude it from your life. Also, the patient's age, weight, sex, activity of the immune system, timeliness of treatment and the presence of concomitant serious illnesses affect life expectancy.
Who is most prone to infection
How many live with hepatitis C depending on age? Experts believe that young people are most prone to infection with such a virus. However, the younger the patient, the lower the risk of developing cirrhosis (if the correct lifestyle is followed). In this regard, middle-aged people should be very careful and carefully monitor their health. For example, men over 45 who periodically drink alcohol are at risk. Indeed, with infection with hepatitis C, the probability of progression of cirrhosis is about 40%. Experts believe that all patients with hepatitis C older than 50 years later develop liver cirrhosis.
The influence of gender on the development of the disease
How long does hepatitis C live by gender? Numerous studies show that gender plays a decisive role in the development of fibrosis or cirrhosis. Even if the treatment is organized correctly, men are still very likely to become carriers of such diseases. In women, this risk is quite low.
Patient body weight and possible consequences
How long does hepatitis C live depending on body weight? Being overweight directly affects the progression of the virus. The more the patient weighs, the greater the risk of liver obesity, which activates irreversible processes in its structure. That is why active sports are very important to maintain an optimal state. This is especially true for people with diabetes. Proper diet and systematic exercise are key factors in maintaining their lives.
Treatment
How many live with hepatitis C? Infected people must first remember that such a diagnosis does not mean a death sentence, it can and must be fought. If you suspect hepatitis C, then self-medication in this case will not succeed. First of all, it is necessary to consult a specialist, because only he can prescribe an effective treatment, depending on several factors: sex, age, stage and duration of the disease, as well as on a genetic predisposition to the rapid progress of liver cirrhosis. The last moment is decisive in the appointment of individual therapy. To identify such a tendency, it is necessary to conduct many special tests for the presence of certain markers in the body. After this procedure, the specialist can already prescribe a suitable treatment. It is worth noting that with the advent of modern techniques in conducting this kind of analysis, it has become much easier to establish cirrhosis. In earlier times, a predisposition to cirrhosis was assessed only by the presence of this disease in the relatives of the patient.
It is worth noting that the treatment of hepatitis C is very expensive, especially in our country. Unfortunately, the possibility of free therapy is also absent. In connection with this state of affairs, a legitimate question arises: how many live with hepatitis C without treatment? The answer to it is also ambiguous. It all depends on the totality of the above factors. However, of course, without medical intervention, the patient's life expectancy is significantly reduced.
To summarize all that has been said, it is impossible to determine exactly how many people live with hepatitis C. If all the above recommendations are carefully observed, a patient with such a diagnosis can live a long and happy life. As a rule, the hepatitis C virus itself does not kill a person. This is done by serious consequences, developing gradually.
At the moment, a vaccine for this virus has not yet been created, however, people, observing precautions and certain hygiene rules, can avoid infection.