Hepatitis C

What is it?
A chronic liver infection caused by a virus that enters the body and attacks the liver.

How you get it
Most often through sharing injections with a person infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Many people don't have symptoms and don't know they have it.

How you know you have it?
Causes swelling of the liver and liver damage. Most people who are infected with HCV develop a chronic infection. This might lead to scarring of the liver; called cirrhosis, liver failure, and can also lead to liver cancer.

How to test for it ?
Blood tests are available to detect the presence of antibodies against the virus and what stage of Hepatitis B one has. There are blood tests available to test for the presence of an antibody against the virus and the viral load. Tests are also available to detect what type of Hep C you may have which will help in the course of treatment as well.

How to treat it?
The current treatment of choice is combination therapy using paginated interferon and ribavirin.

What it can do to you?
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