This is an automatically translated article.
Article by Doctor Tran Thi Phuong Thuy - Department of General Internal Medicine, Vinmec Times City International Hospital.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. The liver is the largest organ in the body, responsible for many important functions such as nutrition, filtering the blood, and fighting infections. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its functions are affected. There are many causes of hepatitis, including alcohol, toxins, drugs, infections, and many other conditions.
1. How will I know if I have hepatitis C? Can this disease be cured?
Most people infected with HCV have no symptoms and do not know they are infected.
If symptoms are present, they are usually: yellowing of the skin, yellowing of the eyes, loss of appetite, bloating, vomiting, abdominal pain, low-grade fever, dark urine, joint pain, fatigue.
If symptoms are present at the onset of the virus, they usually occur within 2 to 12 weeks, and are called acute hepatitis C.
People with chronic hepatitis C often have no symptoms or feel sick for many years. When symptoms appear, it is usually already late-stage liver disease with complications of cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Vàng da là triệu chứng thường gặp ở bệnh nhân viêm gan C
A blood test is the only way to know if you have hepatitis C, whether new or long-term. Your doctor will order a blood test that looks for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus in your blood (anti-HCV, or HCV Ab). If the result is positive, you will be asked to have another blood test to detect the presence of HCV in your blood (HCV metered load, or HCVRNA), to determine if you are still infected or have been infected before. infected in the past but recovered.
If you are still infected, you should be treated early, to avoid complications caused by the hepatitis C virus.
2. When to get tested for Hepatitis C?
US CDC recommends testing for HCV if you are:
18 years of age or older: all adults should be tested at least once Pregnant (tested every time you become pregnant) Injections (ghost) Drugs) Have ever injected drugs, whether just once or many years ago Have HIV Have an abnormal liver function test, or have liver disease On dialysis (hemodialysis) Have a blood transfusion or blood clotting factors in the past, especially before 1992 Have been exposed to the blood of someone infected with HCV Have a mother infected with HCV
Một ưu điểm của xét nghiệm Viêm gan C là giúp bạn sàng lọc viêm gan C
3. Can hepatitis C be cured?
Previously, hepatitis C was a difficult disease to treat, with a course of treatment including both oral and injectable drugs lasting 12 months, expensive costs, many serious side effects of drugs, and a high cure rate. disease only reaches 40 to 70%. With the breakthrough progress of the pharmaceutical industry, in the past 10 years, many new drugs to treat hepatitis C have been introduced, completely changing the treatment picture for this disease.
Current course of treatment uses oral drugs, simple doses, once a day. Duration of treatment is from 3 to 6 months depending on the condition of the disease. The drug has very few side effects, the cure rate is 90-98%. Patients do not need to be hospitalized and can still live and work normally.
New generation hepatitis C virus treatment drugs are available in Vietnam, with treatment costs about 50-70 times cheaper than in the US and European countries.
Hiện nay thuốc điều trị viêm gan virus C đang đem lại hiệu quả cao cho bệnh nhân viêm gan C
Vinmec International General Hospital is a high-quality medical facility in Vietnam with a team of highly qualified medical professionals, well-trained, domestic and foreign, and experienced.
A system of modern and advanced medical equipment, possessing many of the best machines in the world, helping to detect many difficult and dangerous diseases in a short time, supporting the diagnosis and treatment of doctors the most effective. The hospital space is designed according to 5-star hotel standards, giving patients comfort, friendliness and peace of mind.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
