what is it, how is it transmitted, symptoms and treatment

hepatitis C This is a disease that affects the liver and is caused by the virus of the same name (HCV). Tuesday, October 1st is World Day.

A virus that is transmitted through contaminated blood or products derived from it, as well as sexually through risky behavior.

An estimated 70 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).

In our country, before the widespread use of new treatment methods, 1% of the population, about 475 thousand people, had the virus. It is now estimated that it decreased by 0.3%, by approximately 140 thousand people.

What is hepatitis C and its symptoms

This is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to serious liver damage. Transmission of this virus occurs through contaminated blood or products derived from it, as well as through sexual intercourse through risky behavior.

Fortunately, the number of cases has been declining in recent decades thanks to “HCV diagnosis in blood banks, expansion of harm reduction programs among people who inject drugs, and widespread use of disposable medical supplies,” they explain from Alliance to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis in Spain (AEHWE).

After infection, the incubation period of the disease can vary from 2 weeks to 6 months.

And although, according to experts, 80% of cases are asymptomatic, the main signs of infection are:

• Fatigue
• lack of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• stomach pain
• Dark colored urine
• clean chair
• Joint pain
• The skin and eyes become yellowish (jaundice).

Between 15 and 50% of patients who have the infection recover spontaneously. But the remaining victims will suffer from chronic hepatitis.

Who is susceptible to hepatitis C?

In Spain, the affected population mainly consists of blood product recipients or organ transplant patients before 1992.

Injecting drug users also make up an important proportion of hepatitis C patients.

And among them, the reality is that HCV has been the most common cause of chronic liver disease and indication for liver transplantation in our country.

Revolutionary drugs

But this situation is changing due to the widespread use of oral direct-acting antivirals.

• Potent drugs
• Excellent security profile
• With 99% efficiency
• Very few side effects
• They are easy to take.

Treatments that have been proven by a study published in the Journal of Hepatology to revolutionize the future of disease.

In Spain, more than 130,000 patients have been treated since the implementation of the Strategic Plan to Combat Hepatitis C in 2015 (2019 data).

• From 2015 to 2016, treatment was limited to patients with cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis, allowing the majority of patients with cirrhosis to be treated.
• Later, in 2017, a universal treatment was approved.

One tablet a day

Drugs They prevent the virus from multiplying and infecting new cells.. The active ingredients work together to block various proteins that the virus needs to grow and reproduce, allowing the infection to be eliminated from the body permanently.

These are medications that are taken orally (tablets) once a day, with very few side effects and a short duration of action (8-12 weeks).

There are several combinations, the two most commonly used are glecaprevir-pibrentasvir and sofosbuvir-velpatasvir.

As for other causes of this pathology, according to the study, alcohol became the first reason for hospitalization in hepatology departments, replacing hepatitis C.

In addition, the authors report a significant increase in hospitalizations for fatty liver cirrhosis (associated with obesity) and autoimmune liver cirrhosis in recent years.

The results of this study highlight efforts to introduce direct-acting antivirals to treat hepatitis C and underscore the importance of implementing policies aimed at eliminating this disease.