Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C turns into a chronic infection in up to 85% of people exposed to the virus, putting them at risk for liver cancer. At HealthyClinic.me in Springfield, Massachusetts, the experienced team specializes in infectious diseases, including screening for hepatitis C and providing advanced medications that cure the infection. The challenge is knowing when to seek help because hepatitis C is a silent disease that seldom causes symptoms. Call the office today or request an appointment online to learn your risks and discover if you need hepatitis C testing.

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is the name of a virus that infects your liver. You get the virus when you come into contact with blood from a person who has a hepatitis C infection. Most cases of hepatitis C come from sharing needles when injecting drugs or exposure to unclean tools when getting a tattoo or piercing.

Your chances of getting hepatitis C increase if you have any of the following criteria:

• Have HIV
• Undergo dialysis
• Have a sexual partner diagnosed with hepatitis C
• Had a blood transfusion before 1992
• Received clotting factors before 1987
• Your birth mother had hepatitis C
• Were born between 1945 and 1965

Though your body can fight off the virus, that doesn’t happen often. Hepatitis C turns into a chronic infection in about 85% of people. 

For this reason, all adults should be screened for hepatitis C. Your HealthyClinic.me provider recommends how often you should be screened based on your personal history and risk factors.

What symptoms does hepatitis C cause?

Hepatitis C doesn’t usually cause symptoms. Your body may fight off the virus, but hepatitis C turns into a chronic infection for up to 85% of people.

The virus damages your liver, causing inflammation, liver failure, and liver cancer. You won’t have any symptoms until advanced liver disease develops, and then you may experience:

• Bleeding easily
• Bruising easily
• Fatigue
• Poor appetite
• Yellow discoloration of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Dark-colored urine
• Itchy skin
• Fluid buildup in your abdomen (ascites)
• Swelling in your legs
• Weight loss
• Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)

Hepatitis C is a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver transplants in America, but you don’t need to face those complications if you get screened and tested and start treatment before the disease causes irreversible liver damage.

How is hepatitis C treated?

There aren’t vaccines for hepatitis C, so the only way to prevent an infection is by avoiding exposure to needles and infected blood. After you’re diagnosed with a hepatitis C infection, the HealthyClinic.me team treats the infection with antiviral medications that eliminate the virus and cure the disease in 95% of people.

They also perform tests to evaluate the amount of scarring in your liver. The health of your liver depends on how much of the organ is permanently damaged. Your provider develops an integrative treatment plan to manage any problems related to liver damage.

Call HealthyClinic.me or book online to get testing and treatment for hepatitis C.