Hepatitis C Awareness
You might wonder why we need a Hepatitis Awareness Month, which happens to be in progress right here and now in the month of May. The reason is that a lot more people are at risk of getting Hepatitis C than you would think. And you should read on because you may be one of the people at risk, even if you’ve led what you consider to be a clean life.
To help you become aware of Hep C risks and who should be tested, we checked in with TTC’s own Ann Vavra, PA. She said that people who are “at risk” mainly includes “anyone who has a history of IV drug use, is HIV positive, has had an organ transplant or been on dialysis, or has elevated liver enzymes”. She also said that gay men are recommended for testing on a regular basis.
The big news from Vavra is that “The CDC recommends that all baby boomers get tested”. That puts everyone age 50 to 70 at the time of this writing in the “at risk” category, meaning that you most likely either meet the criteria or know someone that does. It’s not that baby boomers are more likely to have Hep C, but that many of them were born or had procedures at a time when controls against transmission weren’t so tight.
Vavra went on to say that if you test positive for Hep C that “you should check in regularly with your doctor so they can do blood work and maybe a liver ultrasound to make sure you’re not one of those people that’s progressing to cirrhosis”. Out of all Hep C patients, 15 to 20% will develop cirrhosis of the liver and 5% will develop liver cancer, so it is important to keep tabs on your condition. On the brighter side, she said that 50 to 60% will live their entire lives and not have any problems, and another 15 to 20% will clear or get over it on their own like the common cold.
There have been many advancements in treatment for Hep C. Medications are available for non-symptomatic patients that have few side effects and prevent them from ever reaching the point of developing cirrhosis. So even if you are not one of the majority who will never see symptoms, you can still live a long and healthy life if you start treatment early in the disease process.
If you are not yet motivated to get tested, then consider the symptoms that come with Hep C. The early symptom of fatigue may not seem so bad. It’s the jaundice, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloating that arise as the disease progresses that might not be welcomed into your life. So get tested if you fit into the at risk populations.