From what we know about Hepatitis C is that is quite a dangerous disease if left unchecked. The virus is known to cause inflammation and infection of the liver, and this infection can either be chronic or acute. Unlike its counterparts, the Hepatitis C does not have a vaccine to prevent one from getting it and being a blood-contagious disease it can quickly affect lots of people quite easily.

Some Of The Facts About The Virus

A lot of research is currently going on about the origin of the hepatitis C virus and how it is precisely spread and ways to curb it, here are some of the quick facts about the Hepatitis C virus that one might find useful to gain basic knowledge about its nature and the damage it can do.

  • The virus is known to attack the hepatocytes of the liver where it replicates.
  • The high error rate of the virus enables it to mutate and produce wide variety of genotypes thereby classifying it as a quasispecies
  • Once inside the body, the virus starts replicating where the genome is translated to produce a single protein of around 3011 amino acids
  • These varieties of genomes make it difficult for the researchers to develop a vaccine aimed at a certain one
  • The symptoms are not exactly and precisely visible in the initial stages which makes it difficult for a person to get an idea of the infection
  • The virus sets in with 70-80% people not experiencing any symptoms and those experiencing comprise of fever, abdominal pain, joint pain or jaundice
  • Hepatitis C is seen to occur more prominently in men than in women
  • Though Hepatitis C is primarily transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, there are also few other ways in which the virus might be transmitted through:
  • Organ transplants
  • Blood transfusions
  • Sharing of razors and toothbrushes with an infected person
  • Sharing needles
  • Child born to Hepatitis C infected mother
  • Unprotected sex with a Hepatitis C infected person
  • Hemodialysis (for a relatively longer duration)
  • To check whether one is infected with the Hepatitis C virus, the doctor performs a series of blood tests to check for signs of infection. There are also tests done to check for any Hepatitis C antibody that the body might have created to check the signs of infection.
  • The people suffering from acute hepatitis C can be cured with or without medication. If found out in time, this disease is curable
  • For a chronic stage, no proper treatment has been found though anti-viral medicines and proper food habits can be followed to stagnant the spread of the virus.