Every year, about 50 million people suffer from chronic Hepatitis C infection worldwide. It is a viral disease that affects the liver. The disease is more common in individuals who inject drugs. Sharing or reusing the needles and syringes increases the chance of spreading the Hep C virus.

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a bloodborne, viral, and contagious disease that causes liver inflammation.
If Hep C treatment is not given on time, it can cause life-threatening complications and permanent liver damage.
The most common way of contracting Hepatitis C in the United States is injecting drugs.
The rate of Hepatitis C is increasing in the United States at an alarming rate with the use of injectable drugs.
There is an estimated prevalence of 2.4 to 3 million people in the United States. (Source: NCBI)
Hepatitis C is one of the major causes of liver failure and liver transplant in the United States.
80 percent of the individuals who get a Hep C infection develop a lifelong or chronic or lifelong infection.
Chronic Hep C causes serious health issues such as liver damage, liver failure, or even liver cancer.

Understanding the connecting between Hepatitis C and intravenous drugs

People who use intravenous drugs (IV) are at a higher risk of hepatitis C than those who do not.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is bloodborne, i.e., it is transmitted when the blood of an individual having HCV infection enters a healthy individual’s body who does not have HCV.
In the majority of cases, hepatitis C is transmitted by sharing needles, syringes, and use of other IV drug equipment.
When an individual injects drugs intravenously using a needle that was used by someone else before, the blood can be left in the needle or syringe, even if it is not visible to the naked eye.
Patients having a hepatitis infection do not realize that they are having the infection for several months or years.
Before they know, they have already transmitted the virus to others through sharing of the drug equipment.
In addition to intravenous transmission, HCV can also be sexually transmitted.
Some of the other ways in which Hepatitis C can spread are tattoo making and piercing.

Spread of Hepatitis C infection among people injecting drugs

The Hepatitis C virus is highly infectious. It can easily spread to a person who comes in contact with objects, equipment, or surfaces that are contaminated with HCV infected blood. The HCV can survive on dry surfaces for about 6 weeks. People who inject drugs can contract HCV from:

Drug preparation equipment

The drug preparation process involves the use of several equipment.
These include cotton, water, swabs, alcohol, cookers, etc.
The preparation equipment for IV drugs can easily become contaminated in the process.

Surface

Hepatitis C can spread when a surface contaminated by blood from an infected person is used by another person for preparing the injection.

Fingers and hands

Fingers and hands that have come into contact with infected blood can be a source of spreading Hepatitis C injection.
The infected blood present on the hands and fingers can contaminate the cotton, swabs, cookers, etc.

Symptoms of Hepatitis C

At the onset, Hepatitis C begins as an acute infection and gradually becomes a chronic one. Many people who contract hepatitis C infection do not develop any symptoms during the initial few weeks or months.

Some of the most likely and visible symptoms of acute hepatitis C infection are:

Abdominal pain and discomfort
Nausea
Fatigue
Achiness
Fever
Jaundice (yellowing of eyes and skin)
Abdominal swelling
Dark yellow urine
Pale or gray colored stools
Joint pain
Loss of appetite

If the acute infection has turned into a chronic hepatitis C infection, symptoms would be much severe. Some of these could possibly be:

Rashes on the skin
Joint pain and muscle aches
Loss of weight
Anxiety and depression
Kidney problems
Persistent fatigue

To avoid complications and to prevent the acute infection from turning chronic, screening is a must even if there are no symptoms.

Diagnosis of Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C can be diagnosed with an initial screening based on the symptoms.
The two vital tests used for diagnosis of hepatitis C are Hep C antibody test and HCV RNA PCR test.
The blood test helps to measure the viral load in blood and reveal the genotype of the HCV.

Hep C Treatment

With several medical advancements, it is possible to treat and completely cure an individual from hepatitis C.
Antiviral oral medication helps to clear the HCV from the body and effectively treat hepatitis C.
The objective of antiviral medication is to not have any HCV found in the body for at least 12 weeks post treatment completion.
Doctors can also prescribe direct-acting antivirals. These are quick, have minimal side-effects, and improved outcomes.
The treatment with direct-acting antivirals usually lasts for 8-12 weeks.
If chronic hepatitis C infection has caused severe liver damage, liver transplant is also an option.

SUMAT Centers : Your solution for addiction, substance abuse and Hepatitis C treatment in Maryland

Be it Hep C treatment, opioid treatment, or alcohol use disorder treatment, SUMAT Clinics Dundalk are a preferred choice for patient oriented services.
Treatment for individuals who have hepatitis C and use IV drugs functions best when a combined approach is followed with personalized care and compassion.
For those who are using IV drugs, the chances of reinfection is quite high.
For those undergoing medication-assisted treatment for substance or alcohol use disorder treatment, some medications need to be avoided.
At SUMAT Clinics Dundalk, support and addiction treatment is available for individuals.
At SUMAT Centers, both physical and mental health problems are addressed in addiction treatment Dundalk.

Are you looking for addiction recovery centers in Dundalk? Do you require Hepatitis C treatment in Maryland? Get in touch with SUMAT Centers near you.