Hepatitis is the most common, contagious, and serious health condition that affects at least one in 400 Americans. It causes infections and sometimes liver damage, and because many people don’t know they have hepatitis, nearly 1.5 million people end up in hospitals each year for treatment.
It is transmitted by blood transfusion, sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis, or through transfusions as well as childbirth to children born with hepatitis who were not vaccinated in the first trimester. An estimated 400 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis C. There are three main types of hepatitis; they can affect both the liver and other organs. These include acute hepatitis, cirrhosis hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis.
There is no cure available yet; however, new treatments and drugs are becoming available and there are new ways to prevent infection. There are seven types of drug therapy for chronic hepatitis C, including ribavirin and peginterferon, and combinations of them. Some studies have shown that, at least in part, this success may be due to earlier exposure to drugs as well as reduced viral load and improved immune function.
Many patients with acute hepatitis C have no symptoms until they develop severe liver failure requiring organ transplants. In addition, some who receive intravenous drug therapies die from their disease, while others survive for years. Hepatitis B is the second most common reason for liver transplantation and accounts for 60% of all transplants performed in the United States. It is most commonly caused by an infection with the virus, known as HIV. Symptoms and complications of hepatitis B are similar to those of chronic hepatitis C.
The U.S. government spends approximately $6 million every year on anti-hepatitis C programs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates over 100,000 people died from hepatitis C in 2010. Treatment includes daily injections of antiviral pills called Sovaldi and Peyronovir; monoclonal antibodies called bulletin; high molecular weight drug products such as risdiquine, Gerasimov, and ribavirin; chemo drugs and steroids; immunoglobulins; and interferons.
People older than 25 years of age can get hepatitis C from direct exposure to blood-contaminated needles. They can also catch it when they become infected with HIV/AIDs, which is a sexually acquired infection that gives rise to viral replication and immune system malfunctioning. Sexually transmitted infections like HIV-AIDs, HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea can spread among adults and older individuals. Although these infections are generally not very serious, studies have shown that a small percentage of them can cause acute hepatitis, chronic liver diseases, cancer as well as severe liver complications, such as liver cirrhosis and liver hepatitis, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and even death. Hepatitis C is believed to be passed from mother to child during pregnancy for reasons unrelated to vaccination. Studies have also found that women who become pregnant before a vaccine is available at birth have a higher risk of getting hepatitis C than those who do not get vaccinated. This fact led scientists to conclude that this problem might be related to vaccination. Also, there is evidence that mothers who already had been vaccinated may be more protected, even if unvaccinated women get hepatitis C during pregnancy.
There is no single cause of hepatitis C. However, a combination of environmental pollution and poor eating habits increases the risk of getting the infection. A report published in June 2004 showed that, although a link between hepatitis and diet exists, researchers still do not completely understand how. More likely, the link is due to an interaction of several factors that make children more susceptible to infections related to viruses, such as HIV. Poverty is a major factor; people can afford health care but the lack of access to doctors is especially evident among low-income groups (such as people living in crowded conditions). Poor eating habits like overeating often occur during periods of stress, especially with teenagers and young people. Obesity, smoking, and alcohol abuse contribute greatly to increased susceptibility to such infections. Because the body needs vitamins and minerals, poor nutrition makes people prone to nutritional deficiencies which results in a weakened immune system that cannot fight off infections. Many people of different ages are in close contact with contaminated surfaces, objects, and containers; therefore, malnutrition is a major cause of infections such as HIV and hepatitis C.
Although research efforts are underway, there continues to be much interest in understanding the effects of substances such as tobacco on human health. One study showed that smoking increases the prevalence of HIV. Other studies indicate that drinking alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin decrease the risk of HIV. Research continues into whether alcohol, cannabis, or marijuana contain any effect on human health. Numerous studies have linked exposure to toxic chemicals like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxides to various forms of cancers, including leukemia, lung cancer, colon cancer, and oral, pharyngeal, and thyroid cancers. All these reports indicate similar findings. Studies have revealed that women who became pregnant after being exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy have a two to 20 times higher risk of having a baby with such problems. For example, scientists studied 559 pregnant women who were randomly assigned to the National Survey of Adolescent Health of 2005. Women who became pregnant after exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy had roughly twice the risk of giving birth to babies with these problems. As there is a global epidemic of childhood injuries, death, and disability caused by accidents and falls, poor eating habits, and unsafe sex, the growing focus on nutrition may help us better understand why some parts of the country have higher rates of hepatitis C than others. While the exact mechanism remains unknown, experts say more must be done to decrease the rates of infection and disease transmission in America.