Hepatitis C Prevention | How does it spread?
The progression of hepatitis C
To give you a better idea of ??the extent and severity of hepatitis C, it is estimated that: for every 100 people infected with the virus, between 75 and 85 develop chronic infection. Of the latter, 60 to 70 develop chronic liver disease. 5 to 20 will develop cirrhosis and 1 to 5 will die from cirrhosis or liver cancer. As you do not want to see in this situation, it is important to know how to prevent hepatitis C.
How is it spread?
Hepatitis C can have multiple routes of transmission, but usually spread when blood from an infected person enters the body of another person. Most often occurs by sharing needles to inject drugs, or when doing tattoos or piercings at establishments that do not maintain strict hygiene and sterilization of instruments, or through blood transfusions with contaminated blood (the latter especially before 1992).
From that date takes strict control of blood precisely to avoid infection. Although the role of sex as a factor of transmission is still controversial, approximately 2% risk can occur from anal sex, as there is the possibility of injury from contact with contaminated blood. The risk increases if the person already has a sexually transmitted disease like HIV, if you have sex with multiple partners or if you play too rough sex. Gay men with HIV have a higher risk of contracting hepatitis C.
Let’s talk about the symptoms of hepatitis C
Many people are infected and do not know because they have no symptoms, although the virus can be detected in a blood test (sometimes the test is requested because the examination of blood liver enzymes are elevated). The symptoms of acute infection can occur from 2 weeks to 6 months after the person infected. The symptoms of chronic hepatitis C can take up to 30 years to develop, but during all this time, liver damage is going slowly. Both acute and chronic hepatitis can cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, belly pain, dark urine, gray stools, pain in joints and skin (jaundice).