Symptoms and treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C is a viral liver disease It can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure The cure rate for the disease can be as high as 70 percent, and if you're lucky, it can usually be cured between 3 and 12 months depending on your body and genetic type Before beginning the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, the patient needs to have a blood test to see the amount of virus in the blood The normal blood test results are 2 million, but if the test shows that the number of liver enzymes is 1.75 million, it will be considered as genotype 1 The higher the load, the lower the genotype The treatment of genotype 1 will take about a year Genotype 2 or 3 takes about six months, while genotype 4-5 takes a shorter time The key is whether the patient has a chance to get rid of the disease Symptoms of chronic hepatitis C include itchy skin, jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), weakness and fatigue Some people may not have any symptoms at the beginning, but when they are found to have liver disease, they are already in the late stage and have serious complications Once confirmed, a series of hepatitis A and B vaccinations are usually needed once a month for three consecutive months In addition, do not drink alcohol for at least 6 months before treatment After treatment, ultrasound will be arranged to check the liver for cirrhosis Doctors also prescribe interferon and other drugs Interferon is a drug that may cause side effects Because everyone is unique, the side effects vary from person to person Sometimes there will be joint and muscle pain, a small amount of hair loss, headache or similar flu symptoms Interferon may also lead to suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming others, but the drug may also have no side effects at all A new blood test is done once a week to make sure that the number of viruses is falling, which is exactly what people with chronic hepatitis C expect The decline in the number of viruses indicates that the treatment is effective But if after two months of chronic hepatitis C treatment, the patient's condition does not improve at all, then it can be sure that the patient is not within the 70% curable rate In this case, the treatment will stop According to records, taking 1000 to 2000 international units (IU) of vitamin D can help improve the body's immune system and help the body receive treatment Vitamin D has been shown to have a positive effect on cancer patients Of course, nutrition and exercise are also good for physical strength and help to prepare for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.