Institute of Liver, Pancreas Diseases& Organ Transplantation

Know the facts...

Hepatitis-C

infected blood.

Make sure your healthcare providers use clean and

sterile equipment for your care and are not reusing

injection needles

Make sure that blood being transfused is from an

authorized and government blood bank.

Practice safe sex

Use clean needles and equipment for tattoos, ear

and nose piercings

Do not share razors, toothbrushes, or other personal

items with others

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis

C virus (HCV).

HCV is spread by direct contact with infected blood.

1-2 percent of the Indian population is HCV positive

Most people with HCV have no symptoms.

HCV can be diagnosed by simple blood tests.

There is no vaccine to prevent Hepatitis C.

HCV causes slowly progressive liver disease and

leads to liver cirrhosis and liver failure

HCV is an important cause of liver cancer

HCV can be effectively treated with medications

HCV can be prevented by avoiding direct contact

with other people's blood, not sharing combs,

toothbrushes, or other personal items, and avoiding

reuse of disposable needles.

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HEPATITIS C – FACTS AT A GLANCE

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Global Hospitals6-1-1070/1to4, Lakdi-ka-pul,Hyderabad - 500 004.Ph: +91 40 2324 4444 (10 lines)

Aware Global HospitalsSagar Road, L.B.Nagar,Hyderabad - 500 035,Ph: +91 40 2411 11

Hyderabad | Chennai | Bengaluru | Mumbai

Emergency: 040 2324 4444

Specialties:

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Liver Diseases Neurosciences Medical Gastroenterology Therapeutic Endoscopy Bariatric Surgery

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Hepatobiliary SurgeryOncology Critical Care Minimal Access Surgery

And other services

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Cardiac Sciences Multiorgan Transplantation Surgical Gastroenterology Endocrinology Pancreatology

www.globalhospitalsindia.com

Prof. Mohammed Rela, MBBS, MS, FRCS (Edinburgh)Head of Multi-organ Transplantation and HPB SurgeryGlobal Hospitals Group

THE HYDERABAD TEAMDr. Dharmesh Kapoor (Transplant Hepatologist)Dr. Balbir Singh (Transplant and HPB Surgeon)

Why is the liver important?

What is Hepatitis C ?

Who is at risk of having Hepatitis C?

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The liver is the largest internal organ in your body and is

located under your rib cage on the right side. The liver

has a lot of vital functions. It produces bile, a mixture of

chemicals, which helps in digestion. It helps in breaking

down food to turn it into energy. It also removes harmful

substances from your blood and helps in fighting

infection. It makes chemicals that are important for

blood clotting. It stores iron, vitamins and other

essential substances. The liver is necessary for survival

and there is currently no way to compensate for the

absence of the liver.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C

virus (HCV). HCV causes the liver to swell and prevents

it from working well. HCV usually causes long-term or

chronic infection of the liver and unless successfully

treated with medications, can lead to cirrhosis

(scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure.

HCV is spread by blood to blood contact. You may be at

risk if you have:

Used intravenous drugs in the past and shared

needles for injecting these drugs

Received blood transfusion in the past especially

from unregulated blood banks

Chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis

Contact with infected needles or blood

Unpro tec ted sex w i th

multiple partners

Persons who have tattoos

The commonest cause of HCV

infection in India is through

improperly sterilized medical

equipment and the re-use of

injection needles in hospitals

and clinics.

What does not cause Hepatitis C?

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What are the long term consequences of Hepatitis

C?

What are symptoms of

Hepatitis C?

How is Hepatitis C diagnosed?

HCV is not spread by sneezing, hugging, or

coughing or casual contact

HCV is not spread by food or water, sharing utensils

or drinking glasses

HCV damages the liver slowly over a period of 20-30

years. More than 50 percent of patients with untreated

hepatitis C progress to liver cirrhosis which is scarring

of the liver. Once cirrhosis develops patients are at a risk

of developing liver failure. Five to 10 percent of these

patients develop liver cancer.

Patients during the early phase

of infection have no symptoms

and feel absolutely healthy.

When the disease progresses

and patient develops liver

cirrhosis, symptoms occur such

as tiredness, nausea, loss of

appetite, skin itching, dark urine,

and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Once

liver failure develops, patients develop swelling of the

legs (edema), fluid in the abdomen (ascites), vomiting

of blood, and mental confusion.

Hepatitis C is diagnosed by simple blood tests.

Specialized tests can also tell you about the amount of

virus in your blood. A liver function test and an

ultrasound scan of the liver will assess whether you may

have developed early cirrhosis. Your doctor may advise

you to undergo a liver biopsy to check how much of the

liver is damaged. During a biopsy, a small piece of liver

tissue is removed with a needle passed into the liver.

This tissue is then studied in the laboratory.

What should you do if you are

diagnosed to have Hepatitis C?

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How is hepatitis C treated?

How can patients with Hepatitis C and liver failure

be treated?

What is the best way to stop the spread of Hepatitis

C?

Eat healthy meals

Exercise and try to lose weight

if you are overweight

See a liver doctor regularly

Take only the medications

recommended by your doctor

Avoid alcohol completely

Talk to your doctor about treatments for Hepatitis C

Talk to your doctor about hepatitis A and hepatitis B

vaccines

Ask your spouse to get tested for Hepatitis C

There is effective treatment for HCV infection. Treatment

usually consists of weekly injections of Interferon along

with oral drugs (Ribavirin). Treatment is usually given for

6 to 12 months. Two out of three patients respond well to

treatment. Newer drugs such as Boceprevir and

Telaprevir help in improving the response to treatment.

Treatment is more effective if patients are treated when

they are young and do not have advanced liver disease.

Once patients with HCV develop cirrhosis and liver

failure, they cannot be treated with medicines. The only

option in such patients is to undergo liver

transplantation. Overall about 10 percent of patients

with Hepatitis C require liver transplantation. The

success rate of transplantation 90 percent, but the new

liver may get re-infected with hepatitis C which may

require treatment after transplant.

There is no vaccine to prevent HCV. The only way to

stop the spread of HCV is to avoid direct contact with