An estimated 58 million people worldwide are living with Hepatitis C, a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This includes 3.9 million people living with chronic hepatitis C. When the infection continues over multiple years, it can lead to serious complications such as liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, and liver failure. Therefore, it is important to identify people who are affected by this illness to get tested – and treated – to reduce the health burden and improve lives. Nowadays, there are a number of therapeutic options for chronic hepatitis C, including Zepatier, Mavyret, Harvoni, Sovaldi with elbasvir and grazoprevir, Epclusa, and Vosevi, all of which can cure this disease.
Treating this Condition
That being said, advocates and physicians are now working to reduce the viral illness in infants by testing and treating pregnant mothers. According to Lindsey Theis of Scripps News, the CDC shared new guidelines on how to test for this viral illness. After a June 2023 report, which stated that only 33% of people with this condition were being cured, the CDC recommended guidelines for testing younger infants. Now, the CDC recommends that infants are tested as young as 2-6 months old. This would allow doctors to identify the viral illness at a young age and reduce the risk of potentially damaging side effects. Infants could be treated early-on.
The CDC also recommends that pregnant women undergo screening to identify if they have hepatitis C. By doing so, these women have the opportunity to be treated during their pregnancy. This reduces the risk that hepatitis C would be passed down to their child. Women are typically given an antiviral therapy for eight to twelve weekends during their second or third trimester as treatment. While prenatal treatment is still in its newer stages, doctors believe that it has the potential to significantly benefit women and children.
Understanding Hepatitis C
One of the reasons why this viral illness is so widespread is that many people do not have symptoms. As a result, many people are unaware that they have this condition. Hepatitis C spreads when infected blood or bodily tissue gets into someone’s bloodstream. Viral exposure may come from having sex, being stuck with infected needles or sharing infected needles, birth, sharing toothbrushes or razor blades, and getting a tattoo or piercing with unclean equipment.
If you are older than 18, are pregnant, received blood from a donor with hepatitis C, currently inject drugs or have ever injected drugs, had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992, were treated with a blood product before 1987, have been on long-term kidney dialysis, have a mother with hepatitis C, have liver disease, or have HIV, you should be tested for hepatitis C.
For those that do develop symptoms, these usually appear within 2 weeks to six months following infection. Potential symptoms may include:
- Dark urine and light stools
- Fatigue
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes)
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Appetite loss
- Abdominal pain and cramping
As the infection progresses into later stages, symptoms may worsen. If you are experiencing the following symptoms, it could be a sign of significant liver damage and you should speak with your doctor:
- Gallstones
- Encephalopathy (swelling of the brain)
- Easy bleeding and bruising
- Intense itchiness
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
- Spider veins
- Vomiting blood
- Unintentional weight loss
- Kidney failure
Learn more about hepatitis C.
