Chronic hepatitis C: symptoms and treatment

Hepatitis is a rather dangerous disease that can be transmitted by an infectious path and occurs due to a person's lifestyle. The main danger is the low severity of the symptoms, which is why it is often found when the liver and the human body as a whole suffer serious damage. It is necessary to know about the symptoms and treatment of chronic hepatitis C, because at the moment it is this species that occurs more often.

Hepatitis C - what is the danger of

The statistics on viral hepatitis C started not so long ago, at the moment experts note that the number of cases is growing every year. The disease can be difficult to identify, because it has virtually no severe symptoms, it immediately turns into a chronic form that flows without manifestations.

If you get into the bloodstream, the virus with the blood flow reaches the liver, the cells of which begin to hit. The activity of the virus in the body provokes various violations of the functioning of the liver, the gastrointestinal tract and, indirectly, the immune system. In this case, up to the appearance of complications, a person can not feel anything, except for mild ailments sometimes.

A peculiar exacerbation of chronic hepatitis, which allows to identify the disease in most cases, becomes cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis is characterized by a sharp deterioration in the state of health, if not taken in time, it can lead to death.

Species of

In addition to chronic viral hepatitis C and other human-to-human transmission groups, the following types of liver disease occur. They have similar symptoms and manifestations, but the true cause of malaise is important to establish, it is on this depends the subtleties of treatment and prognosis.

1. Chronic toxic hepatitis. The liver is an organ that processes and removes toxic substances so that they do not harm the body. If there are too many of them, the liver suffers. With prolonged and intensive toxic damage, organ cells die, it does not cope with the load, there are signs of hepatitis.
2. Chronic alcoholic hepatitis. It develops due to alcohol abuse, the main products of alcohol breakdown in the body pass precisely through the liver, due to large volumes, it ceases to cope with processing. This diagnosis is made taking into account the alcohol dependence of the patient, most often there is chronic persistent hepatitis, which proceeds imperceptibly without pronounced symptoms.
3. Chronic autoimmune hepatitis. This form is rare, it causes malfunctions in the immune system, which begins to attack the cells of its own organism. The tissue of the liver slowly breaks down, symptoms of hepatitis appear.

It is important to establish the real cause of hepatitis that treatment should be effective and correct. In the case of hepatitis C, it should be noted that drinking alcohol significantly worsens the course of the disease and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver much faster.

Important! To determine the cause of the violations in the liver, you need to undergo a complete examination with a doctor - a hepatologist.

Causes of

The cause of chronic hepatitis C is the ingress of a virus into the human blood, after which it reaches the liver. The incubation period can range from a few weeks to six months, depending on the condition of the patient's body. From the state of immunity depends also the severity of manifestations: the weaker the body, the less symptoms will be in the early stages.

The virus is transmitted exclusively through the blood, its concentration in other biological fluids is negligible. Therefore, a high probability of infection occurs when attending sessions of pedicure, manicure, while applying tattoos or piercings. Unfortunately, there is a high risk of getting hepatitis C in medical institutions.

Also at risk are people who use injecting drugs, using non-disposable syringes in unsanitary conditions, people who stay in prisons, employees of medical institutions, relatives of people with hepatitis C, people with unprotected sex.

Important! It's worth noting that the virus is not transmitted through saliva or handshakes, it's pretty dangerous delusions.

Symptoms of

When hepatitis C is rarely present, severe symptoms are always required to diagnose the diagnosis. However, the patient can generally note the following changes in his state of health:

• the appearance of pain in the right hypochondrium, sometimes - signs of intoxication;
• general malaise, decreased immunity, constant fatigue;
• in more neglected cases jaundice occurs, skin and eye whitens turn yellow.

All these symptoms are an occasion for an early call to a doctor. They can be signs of one of the varieties of hepatitis or a disease of a different nature. Symptoms in the diagnosis of hepatitis C are not usually relied on.

To accurately detect the disease, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is used that shows the presence of the virus with high accuracy. In addition, PCR diagnosis, ultrasound of the liver and a number of other studies can be used. Everything depends on the individual characteristics of the course of the disease.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis

Treatment of hepatitis C should be under the clear control of a doctor - a hepatologist, self-medication in this case is life-threatening. Also it is worth to prepare for the fact that the treatment can take a long time and affect the whole life of a person. Clinical examination in the case of this type of disease is usually not required.

The main therapy for hepatitis is aimed at destroying the virus and restoring the liver function. It includes a variety of drugs and a special diet that helps to remove the excess load from the liver and the gastrointestinal tract as a whole. Usually, the following medicines are required to treat group C hepatitis:

1. Combination of alpha interferon and ribavirin is used to fight the virus. These drugs suppress the activity of the virus, with the proper selection of other drugs they help the body completely get rid of the virus.
2. Hepatoprotectors. These drugs support the function of the liver and help the body recover completely after tissue damage by the virus. There are several groups of hepatoprotectors, should be selected based on the individual characteristics of the disease.

Drugs that should be taken, should help choose a doctor. In each case, the treatment scheme may be different, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the person. The main task of the patient is to listen to all the doctor's recommendations.

Diet

Diet is an important aspect of treatment for hepatitis. It is important for the early restoration of liver and digestive system. First and foremost, alcohol is completely excluded, in general, the most suitable diet plan is diet No. 5, which is used for many diseases of the liver, pancreas, gall bladder.

The basis of the diet - vegetables and non-acid fruits, berries, low-fat dairy products. Fatty varieties of meat, sweets, choleretic products are avoided. Also it is advised to drink enough liquid, you should eat up to 5 - 6 times a day in small portions. Depending on the concomitant diseases, the diet can be adjusted.

Treatment with folk remedies

Various folk remedies can be used to improve liver function in hepatitis. They should be used with caution, it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking.

For the removal of symptoms, medicinal herbs can be used, it is advised to make tea with mint leaves, chamomile or sage. The main thing - do not make it too strong, do not add lemon or sugar. Also, a syrup of licorice root is useful, two teaspoons of syrup should be diluted in a glass of tea or water, taken twice a day.

In case of liver disorders, honey can be useful. Advise before breakfast to plant one spoonful of honey in a glass of water and drink or at least once a day to drink tea, eating it with honey.

Using various folk remedies and official therapy, you can achieve a better result. When hepatitis is important to coordinate treatment with a specialist, constantly monitor their own condition.