The Global Effect of Hepatitis C and Liver Cancer

For anyone who has contracted the hepatitis C virus (HCV), this infection can cause irreparable damage to their liver which results in lifelong illness. HCV is transmitted when a person comes into direct contact with contaminated blood. Worldwide, there are nearly 4 million people who will contract this infectious disease every year. In fact, there are at least 150 million people who are living with chronic hep c infections, and all of these individuals could potentially develop liver cancer at some point in their lives due to their infection.

Hep C: The Infectious Disease

There are many people who are living with hepatitis C but don’t realize it, mostly due to a lack of noticeable symptoms (most cases of hep C are asymptomatic) and a relatively long disease incubation period. In the few cases where patients do present with symptoms, these often include nausea, jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), joint pain, or fatigue. Most people who contract HCV will eventually develop chronic hepatitis, and most of those individuals will develop chronic liver disease and/or liver cirrhosis (liver scarring). Clinical studies on hepatitis C have shown that a small percentage of patients who have chronic hepatitis C will eventually die from cirrhosis or liver cancer. Further research has shown that a significant number of liver cancer cases have been attributed to hepatitis C.

Diagnosing Hepatitis C: It’s a Difficult Task

This infectious disease has become quite notorious for being difficult to diagnose due to the lack of symptoms that hepatitis C causes. In order to accurately diagnose hep C, doctors must test for the presence of specific antibodies which the body produces in order to combat the virus. A diagnosis for hepatitis C can be confirmed if these antibodies have been present in the blood for more than 6 months. There are other screening tests which are used to check for the presence of liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.

Liver Cancer Cases with Unknown Etiology

Last month, an 88 year old man was diagnosed with hepatitis C. Incredibly, this man, who was otherwise quite healthy for his age, had been diagnosed with liver cancer only a few months prior to be told he had hep C. As of this month, his doctors have informed him that his cancer is slow growing and isolated to one lobe (at least for right now). Incredibly, the man had never experienced any pain or other potential signs that he might have developed liver cancer, and he had never undergone any form of blood transfusion. So what does this all mean? This individual currently represents the 10 percent of liver cancer cases with an unidentified etiology.

Consequences from No Blood Transfusion Screenings

Before the 1970’s, hospitals were not required to run background checks for hepatitis C prior to performing blood transfusions, which means that anyone who did get a blood transfusion during that era was at risk for contracting hepatitis C. Health care experts are now fully aware of the consequences which can arise from a long-term HCV infection, often providing at home nursing for any elderly patients with hepatitis C. Around the world, health care officials are still making adjustments to limit the risks of HCV transmission, but at the moment no one knows for sure just how many people have been infected with hepatitis C worldwide.