丙型肝炎被大量的错误信息和负面舆论所包围。对病毒的误解使人们寻求可以挽救生命的治疗更具挑战性。

To sort out the truth from the fiction, let’s go over some of the facts you should know about hepatitis C.

新诊断的任何人的最大恐惧之一就是他们的前景。丙型肝炎病毒是在1980年代后期首次发现的,从那时起,就已经取得了重大治疗进展。

今天,关于 25% 人中有能力在没有治疗的情况下从体内清除急性丙型肝炎感染。超过90 percent慢性丙型肝炎患者的United States can be cured.

另外,许多新的治疗选择都以药丸形式出现,使它们比较旧的治疗方法更少痛苦和侵入性。

一个普遍的误解是,只有使用药物的人才能患上丙型肝炎。尽管有些患有静脉注射药物的人已被诊断出患有丙型肝炎,但还有许多其他方法可以接触到该病毒。

For instance, baby boomers are considered the population most at risk for hepatitis C simply because they were born before accurate blood screening protocols were mandated. This means anyone born between 1945年至1965年 应该对该病​​毒进行测试。

其他面临丙型肝炎风险增加的群体包括1992年之前先有输血或器官移植的人,肾脏血液透析的人以及患有艾滋病毒的人。

许多人认为肝癌或肝移植是丙型肝炎的不可避免的,但事实并非如此。每100人接受丙型肝炎诊断并且不接受治疗, 5至20人 会发展肝硬化。其中只有一小部分需要考虑移植选项。

此外,当今的抗病毒药物可以减少肝癌或肝硬化的可能性。

Up to 80% of people with acute hepatitis C infection don’t develop any symptoms. Chronic hepatitis C infection does not cause symptoms until cirrhosis develops. This means that precautions should be taken regardless of how you feel physically.

Although there’s a relatively small chance of spreading the virus sexually, it’s best to always practice safe sex measures. Also, though the risk of transmission from razors or toothbrushes is very low, avoid sharing either of these grooming tools.

Hepatitis C isn’t airborne, and you can’t get it from a mosquito bite. You also can’t contract or transmit hepatitis C by coughing, sneezing, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, kissing, breastfeeding, or being close to someone in the same room.

Having said that, people can become infected with hepatitis C by getting a tattoo or body piercing in an unregulated setting, using a contaminated syringe, or being pricked by an unsanitary needle in healthcare settings. Babies may also be born with hepatitis C if their mothers have the virus.

如果您使用可注射药物,则更有可能患有艾滋病毒和丙型肝炎。之间 50 to 90 percent 在患有艾滋病毒并使用可注射药物的人中,也患有丙型肝炎。相反,只有25%的艾滋病毒患者患有乙型肝炎。

There’s no correlation between your hepatitis C viral load and the progression of the virus. In fact, the only reason a doctor takes stock of your specific viral load is to diagnose you, monitor progress you have with your medications, and ensure the virus is undetectable when treatments end.

与乙型肝炎和乙型肝炎不同,目前尚无针对乙型肝炎的疫苗接种。但是,研究人员正在尝试开发一种。

如果您被诊断出患有丙型肝炎感染或怀疑您可能已经与该病毒接触,那么最好的办法就是用信息武装自己。您的医生在那里回答您可能遇到的任何问题。

另外,考虑从知名来源阅读有关丙型肝炎的更多信息。毕竟,知识是力量,它可能只会帮助您实现应有的心态。