What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a serious form of hepatitis.
Infection with the hepatitis C virus occurs through blood contact. The chance to get hepatitis C through sexual contact is very small.
Hepatitis C is treated with drugs.
What are the signs and symptoms of hepatitis C?
Most people with hepatitis C are very long infected with the hepatitis C virus without knowing it. They feel you're not sick. They are contagious.
Symptoms of hepatitis C can include:
- fatigue;
- vague abdominal pain;
- nausea;
- jaundice (very rare).
Hepatitis B, C and D in pregnancy
Pregnant women who are carriers of the hepatitis B, C or D virus can infect their babies. That can during childbirth or when breastfeeding. As carrier do you have no complaints but you can the virus be pass on to your child.
The chance to infect your baby with hepatitis C is small: less than five percent.
Hepatitis D occurs only in combination with hepatitis B And hepatitis B are all pregnant women tested in Netherlands.
You have hepatitis B? Then get your baby within two hours after birth an inoculation. Follow later more inoculations against hepatitis b. this happens on the consultation Office or at the public health service. After the first inoculation you can breastfeed without infecting your baby.
Is your child protected against hepatitis B, then it can also no hepatitis D get more.
What is the treatment for hepatitis C?
Treatment of chronic hepatitis C is necessary in order to prevent liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Chronic hepatitis C deals with the physician with a combination of two medicines peginterferon and ribavirin.
Peginterferon:
Peginterferon improves the resistance of your body. You receive once-weekly injection of peginterferon in your leg or abdomen.
Peginterferon sometimes give side effects such as:
- flu-like symptoms;
- psychological symptoms, such as insomnia, irritability, confusion and depression;
- gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, diarrhea and constipation;
- skin problems such as dry, itchy skin and rashes.
Ribavirin fights the infection. Moreover Ribavirin causes peginterferon work better. Take twice a day one tablet or capsule.
The treatment takes six months to a year. Five to eight out of the ten treated people takes the hepatitis C virus lost. But people can be reinfected with hepatitis C.
How to prevent hepatitis C?
How do you get hepatitis C?. You can become infected with the hepatitis C virus by blood contact, for example in the following ways:
- Contact with blood from a wound of an infected person.
- Non-sterile needles, for example in drug use, when attaching piercings and tattoos and acupuncture.
- Razors and toothbrushes that you have someone used.
- You can also get the virus if you are bitten by an infected person.
- blood contact;
- safe sex (with condom).