Hepatitis C:What Every Addict Should Know
Using drugs carries dangerous risks. Whether the dangers are overdosing, drugs cut with some chemical, a more potent mix than normal, the body reacting badly, a bad trip… you name it and it is probably possible. And on the flip side, there are the dangers of withdrawal symptoms when going cold turkey as well.
Some other possible risks are: being robbed by a dealer, caught in criminal acts or jailed… and last but not least is the danger of disease. One of the most common diseases associated with addiction is hepatitis C.
What Is Hepatitis?
“Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver, it is also the name of a family of viral infections that affect the liver. The most common types are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.
What Is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness that attacks the liver. It results from infection with the hepatitis C virus, which is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person.
What Are the Symptoms?
Many people with hepatitis C do not have any symptoms, but the following are sometimes observable:
- Jaundice – yellowing of the skin, eyes and urine
- Stomach pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Vomiting
- Flu-like symptoms
How Does the Virus Spread?
The virus spreads through the blood or body fluids of an infected person. These are some common ways it can happen:
- Sharing needles
- Having sex, especially if you have an STD, an HIV infection, several partners, or have
rough sex - Using infected needles
- Birth — a mother can pass it on to a child
Hepatitis C isn’t spread through food, water, or by casual contact.
Effects of Hepatitis C
About 80% of people who get hepatitis C develop chronic hepatitis C. This leads to conditions such as cirrhosis (liver scarring), liver cancer and liver failure.
Cirrhosis is a serious condition of the liver, there is no cure other than having a liver transplant, though lifestyle changes and certain medications can help stop the condition from deteriorating.
Liver cancer, unfortunately, has no cure and it is estimated that around 1 in every 20 people with cirrhosis, caused by hepatitis, develop liver cancer every year.
Liver failure is when the liver loses most, or all of it functions. Symptoms of liver failure are hair loss, oedema, nosebleeds, bruising easily and vomiting blood. Certain medications can help but the only cure is a liver transplant.
UK Facts
It is estimated that around 215,000 people in the UK have hepatitis C. About 90% of those people receive the infection from injecting drugs. It is estimated that around half of those who inject drugs do have the infection. Due to a lack of symptoms, it is quite common that those who are infected do not realise that they are carrying the disease and then pass it on to others.
Treatment
If the infection is diagnosed in the early stages, you may need no treatment as the body may be able to fight off the virus. If the infection continues that means you have chronic hepatitis C, and treatment is required. Treatment consists of:
- Lifestyle changes - a balanced diet, exercise, limiting alcohol intake, stopping smoking, and of course sharing no needles.
- A combination of medications - there is a variety of strains of the hepatitis C virus, and the strain you are infected with will dictate the type of medication given.
Medication is getting more and more effective and can now cure 70-90% of patients. Being cured of the disease does not immunise you against getting infected again. For this reason, it is vital that further intravenous drug use desists.
