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Document
Name & Link to Document |
Description |
File Size /Type** |
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10 year follow-up: post Treatment |
Medical
conditions predisposing to epidural abscess include diabetes,
intravenous drug use, alcoholism, and other immunocompromised
states. Although cirrhosis is associated with an increased risk
of infection in general it has not previously been identified as
a condition predisposing to epidural abscess. |
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2
cases of Epidural Abscess-cirrhosis |
Sustained
responses to interferon-
occur in 10% to 25% of patients with chronic hepatitis C, but
the long-term outcome is not well defined. We evaluated the
long-term clinical, histological, and virological outcomes of 10
patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated |
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99% Of Patients on Pegasysâ Remain 'Cured' of Hepatitis C Virus
When Tested Three Years Later |
This study
with PEGASYS demonstrates the only permanent and long-lasting
results that have been reported for pegylated interferons after
monitoring patients for several years following completion of
therapy. |
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ABC of diseases of liver, pancreas, and biliary system |
Increases in
portal pressure cause development of a portosystemic collateral
circulation with resultant compensatory portosystemic shunting
and disturbed intrahepatic circulation. These factors are partly
responsible for the important complications of chronic liver
disease, including variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy,
ascites, hepatorenal syndrome, recurrent infection, and
abnormalities in coagulation. Variceal bleeding is the most
serious complication and is an important cause of death in
patients with cirrhotic liver disease. |
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AIDS & Hepatitis Digest |
This paper
is based on a talk given at the meeting of the British HIV
Association and the Medical Society for the Study of Venereal
Diseases in London |
Pdf 461 kb |
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Attitudes About Hepatitis C Education Campaign for People Newly
Diagnosed with Hepatitis C |
This report
presents the results of five focus groups conducted by Market
Street Research, Inc. among people recently diagnosed with
hepatitis C, including people in recovery and those who
contracted the virus through a blood transfusion or organ
transplant |
226 kb pdf |
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Advances in Liver Disease |
Highlights from
the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Association
for the Study of Liver Diseases: Nonalcoholic fatty liver
disease, Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, Portal hypertension,
Hepatocellular carcinoma, Primary biliary cirrhosis, Hepatitis,
Obesity, Variceal bleeding, Methotrexate, Lamivudine, Perinatal
transmission, Adefovir |
424 kb pdf |
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Alcohol potentiats Hepatitis C |
Alcohol
consumption accelerates liver damage and diminishes the
anti-hepatitis C virus (Hepatitis C Virus) effect of interferon
alfa (IFN-alpha) in patients with Hepatitis C Virus infection.
It is unknown, however, whether alcohol enhances Hepatitis C
Virus replication and promotes Hepatitis C Virus disease
progression. |
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Ascites |
Ascites is a
pathologic accumulation of serous fluid within the abdomen. It
may be caused by decompensated liver disease (alcohol- and
virus-related cirrhosis), heart failure, abdominal
carcinomatosis, tuberculosis, fulminant liver failure,
pancreatic disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, connective
tissue diseases and hypoproteinemia. |
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Associate conditions for HBV |
Associated
conditions are those which appear statistically related, but do
not have a clear cause or effect relationship. Whereas the
complications are caused by Chronic Hepatitis B, and underlying
causes may be causes of Chronic Hepatitis B, the following list
shows associated conditions that simply appear with higher
frequency in people who have Chronic Hepatitis B |
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Aubrey Ogin is living with Hepatitis C |
Aubrey Ogin
of Pottstown likes to hang out with her friends, skateboard and
play the guitar. She’s a typical teen. But a dubious
distinction makes the quiet, attractive 15-year-old very
different from most kids her age. Aubrey has hepatitis C,
contracted via a blood transfusion in infancy. |
1,795 kb pdf |
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Australian discovery may lead to a hepatitis C vaccine |
Researchers in
Australia have discovered an antibody that has helped some
people develop immunity against hepatitis C, and they hope to
use the discovery as the foundation for an HCV vaccine |
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Australia:
Drug firms fund Hepatitis C awareness |
Pharmaceutical companies are pouring millions of dollars into
patient advocacy groups and medical organizations to help expand
markets for their products. |
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Barriers to access and effective use of anti-discrimination
remedies for people living with HIV and HCV-Australia
|
This paper
identifies and analyses the barriers to access and use of
anti-discrimination remedies for people living with HIV and
hepatitis C virus. It focuses particularly on the recent
changes and proposed changes to remedies in the Commonwealth
jurisdiction, and any impact these changes many have on the
demand for or use of State remedies. |
Pdf 227 kb |
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Bleeding esophageal varices |
Bleeding
esophageal varices, one of the most feared complications of
portal hypertension, contribute to the estimated 32,000 deaths
annually attributed to cirrhosis. Successful control requires
knowledge of the pertinent anatomy, underlying pathophysiology
of portal hypertension, and natural history of gastroesophageal
varices. Drs Hegab and Luketic review these topics and discuss
the various prophylactic and therapeutic approaches to
management, including pharmacologic agents, endoscopic
sclerotherapy, and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
(TIPS). |
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Blood Safety Transcripts |
And this is
what we have tried to do with the hepatitis C lookback. This is
the same approach we've taken to the other challenges, I think,
to blood safety and availability that we've encountered, and we
hope to continue to do so.
But I do want
to mention the latest effort in this regard because we have had
discussions about sending a letter from the Surgeon General to
every household in America about hepatitis C because of the
magnitude of this silent epidemic affecting four million people.
And the struggle, of course, has been that there's only one
model for doing that, I guess, in the past and that was when
Surgeon General C. Everett Koop sent a letter about the HIV/AIDS
epidemic.
There have
been some major changes since that time. At that time the
Surgeon General's office had what we call franking privileges,
and there was no problem in sending mail to all of the families
in America |
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Can the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) Predict
Post-Transplantation |
Can indicators
of liver disease severity before liver transplantation (OLT)
predict the outcome following OLT? Can pretransplant data
predict post-OLT outcomes? The researchers compared three
indices of liver disease severity as predictors of
posttransplant outcome: |
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Cardiac surgeon likely source of hepatitis in patients |
A cluster of
seven cases has been diagnosed in people who have only the
physician in common. |
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Can Liver Fibrosis be Reversed |
Treatment gives
the liver a vacation or rest from inflammation caused by
Hepatitis C Virus. Providing that the cirrhosis is not at such
an advanced stage that treatment is not an option, treatment is
often used to improve the health of the liver even if the
disease cannot be eradicated |
17 kb pdf |
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CDC:
Hepatitis information 2002 |
Guides set forth by CDC |
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CHEVRON U.S.A. INC., PETITIONER
v. MARIO ECHAZABAL |
The court of
appeals correctly held that respondent is a "qualified
individual" under Title I of the ADA, but the court erred in
invalidating the EEOC's regulations and precluding petitioner's
defense that respondent's performance of the job posed a direct
threat to his own health or safety. By addressing threat-to-self
concerns as a regulatory defense to liability, the EEOC struck a
proper balance between the rights of disabled individuals to
work free of discrimination and employers' need to maintain a
safe workplace. Under the EEOC's regulations, an employer need
not hire an employee who poses a threat to self, but only if the
employer demonstrates, on an individualized basis, a real threat
to the employee's health. |
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Children in Need and Blood-borne Viruses: HIV and Hepatitis
|
The emphasis
within this guidance is on ensuring that the particular
circumstances of children and their families at risk of or
affected by blood-borne viruses should be addressed sensitively
and positively. The aim is to encourage professionals involved
with children and their families to work in partnership with
them sharing information and sharing the implications for them. |
Pdf 286 kb |
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Chinese study Herb versus HBV |
Traditional Chinese medicine is an established segment of
the health care deliver system in China |
PDF / 215KB |
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Chronic Hepatitis C: Current Disease Management |
The
hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most important causes of
chronic liver disease in the United States. It accounts for
about 15 percent of acute viral hepatitis, 60 to 70 percent of
chronic hepatitis, and up to 50 percent of cirrhosis, end-stage
liver disease, and liver cancer. Almost 4 million Americans, or
1.8 percent of the U.S. population, have antibody to HCV (anti-HCV),
indicating ongoing or previous infection with the virus.
Hepatitis C causes an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 deaths annually
in the United States. |
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Chronic Hepatitis C-epidemiology & economic burden |
Healthcare
costs for Hepatitis C Virus include managing patients' symptoms,
managing other organ involvement, treating Hepatitis C Virus
with antiviral agents, and managing end-stage liver disease as
well as the cost of liver transplantation. |
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Chronic Hepatitis C during Pregnancy |
In a pregnant patient with chronic hepatitis C, will a
scheduled cesarean section reduce the risk of vertical
transmission? Is there a place for the use of pegylated
interferon during the third trimester to reduce viral load?
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Cirrhosis: How do I know if I have it? |
A patient's history and symptoms, along with the results of
a physical examination, are usually enough to determine a case
of cirrhosis. Once the diagnosis has been made, the physician
may order one or more liver function tests, which use blood
samples to identify specific liver diseases and assess the
organ's overall health. |
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Cirrhosis-QT interval,
patho |
Prolonged Q-T interval predicts severe arrhythmias and
sudden death, and has been shown to occur in alcoholic liver
disease and cirrhotic patients who are candidates for liver
transplantation. This study first evaluated the prevalence of
prolonged QT interval in a large population of unselected
patients with cirrhosis, and assessed the relationship between
abnormal QT, etiology, and severity of liver disease and
mortality of patients |
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Clearer Liver Warning Urged for Painkillers |
Experts are urging the federal government to mandate
clearer and more consistent warning labels for acetaminophen,
and the nation's leading maker of the pain and fever remedy has
announced it is ready to do so. |
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Clinical Care for Hepatitis |
Power Point
Presentation |
2631 kb |
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Clinical Care Options for Hepatitis Symposium: |
Power Point
Presentation |
736 kb |
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Clinical Updates in HCV Treatment CCO Independent Conference
Coverage |
Power Point
Presentation |
685 kb |
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Complications of Cirrhosis |
Many of the severe complications of cirrhosis are secondary
to portal hypertension, since it leads to the development of
collateral flow from the portal venous system to the systemic
circulation. |
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Complications of Liver Cirrhosis |
Series of
different reports on cirrhosis of the liver |
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Complications of Hepatitis C Viral Infection |
Listing of the
various health complication associated with Hepatitis C |
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Conditions linked to Hepatitis C |
Common and significant conditions of Hepatitis C Virus
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Connection between Hepatitis C and Anger |
I don't know
about you, but I've never run into a group of "unreasonably"
angry people in my life like some of those I have encountered in
Hep C support groups, both "live" and on the internet. |
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Controversies in Hepatitis C Therapy |
"Controversies in Hepatitis C Therapy", is based on
transcripts and slides of presentations as delivered by the
faculty at the "Controversies in Hepatitis C Therapy:
Point/Counterpoint Debates" satellite symposium held during the
AASLD Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts on November 3,
2002 |
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Countries struggle with Hepatitis C contamination |
Examines how
France, Germany, Australia, the United States and Great Britain
are tackling hepatitis C contamination through blood and blood
products. Screening of blood donations; Recipients of
blood transfusions; Questions on legal responsibility;
Compensation for patients; Intravenous drug use. |
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David Marks - Hepatitis C
- Treatments and Beyond |
Marks,
who was forced to leave the Beach Boys once again due to
his battles with Hepatitis C, has founded a grass roots
foundation called Artists Against Hepatitis, which is
dedicated to providing services to the children of those
suffering from Hepatitis. David Marks is also the
National spokesman for the Hepatitis C Action Movement
and participates in fundraising events. Along with the
Hepatitis C Action Movement, David has been involved in
lobbying members of Congress and elected officials on
behalf of Hepatitis C related issues. |
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Diagnosis,
management, and treatment of hepatitis C |
Set of guidelines and methods of treatment for each of the
various classifications of HCV |
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Differences in Knowledge of Hepatitis B Among Vietnamese,
African- American, Hispanic, and White Adolescents in Worcester,
Massachusetts |
Knowledge
of
hepatitis
B was low overall. Vietnamese respondents were
more likely than were other students to know that
hepatitis
B affects the liver (35.6% vs 22.6%). However,
they were much less likely than were other students
to correctly identify sex with an
infected person as a risk factor for
infection (13.7% vs 32.8%).
Independent predictors of this
knowledge were: white race; older
age; attending
high school versus middle school; having
been taught
about
hepatitis
B
in school; knowing
the definition
of
hepatitis
B; reporting
better grades; having
a family member
with
hepatitis
B; and
being
more highly acculturated |
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Disease spread as blood test was delayed |
In the 1970s,
about 1,500 hospital patients participated in the
Transfusion-Transmitted Viruses Study. Researchers concluded
that ALT testing could slow the spread of hepatitis C. However,
the blood testing was delayed for years |
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Drug Users’ Human Rights Harm reduction – the pragmatic view on
the realization of drug users’ right to health |
Many drug
users are occasional or opportunistic recreational user, thus
they do not fit the category of “drug addict” Nevertheless, this
does not save them from the related harms created by drug use
such as, blood borne diseases, HIV infection, and viral
hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) - as public health concerns.
Policies and practices based on the principles of a right-based
approach and a public health perspective toward drug use -such
as harm reduction, are considered to be the best approaches on
realizing drug users’ right to health and their human rights in
general. |
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EDITORIAL : Hepatitis C victims sue |
The tale is tragic and depressing: It is the story of
people who contracted a life-threatening illness through medical
treatment. |
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Effects of Systemic Vascular Problems on the Liver |
There is a
striking effect on the liver in situations where significant
cardiac dysfunction occurs. These effects will vary greatly
depending on how acutely the hemodynamic changes occur and
whether or not they are predominantly affecting the right or
left side of the circulation (Figure 3-1). In most instances
there will be a combination of events affecting the entire
circulation occurring over a variable period of time, perhaps
modified by pre-existing conditions in the host liver |
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Endoscopic Sclerotherapy |
"Available evidence does not support emergency
sclerotherapy as the first-line treatment of variceal bleeding
in cirrhosis when compared with vasoactive drugs, which control
bleeding in 83% of patients," |
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Environmental Stability of HCV Virus |
Background Epidemiologic studies of Hepatitis C Virus have
indicated that transmission among patients in health care
settings is associated with contaminated vehicles such as
multi-dose medication vials and re-used needles and syringes and
among injecting drug users is associated with contaminated drug
paraphernalia such as cookers and cotton.
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Esophageal
varices |
Large
collateral veins located in the submucosa of the esophagus and
stomach, most prominent in the distal esophagus, connecting the
portal vein with the superior vena cava. These veins result from
chronic high pressure in the portal vein and are particularly
prone to rupture with associated gastrointestinal bleeding and
often exsanguinations and death. Bleeding from varices is the
single most common cause of death in cirrhosis of the liver. |
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Estimating the Numbers of Heroin Users in the Act |
Knowing the
number of heroin users in the ACT is essential for planning,
monitoring and evaluating a trial to provide opioids to
dependent users in a controlled fashion |
117 kb pdf |
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Evaluation of environmental bacterial contamination and
procedures to control cross infection in a sample of Italian
dental surgeries |
Research has
shown that infective hazards are present in dental practice,
because many infections can be transmitted by blood
or saliva through direct or indirect contact, droplets,
aerosols, or contaminated instruments and equipment.
All dental personnel are at risk, including dentists,
nurses, and hygienists, who may transmit infectious
diseases to patients by the use of contaminated
dental instruments or hands. This microbial cross contamination
is particularly dangerous when considering immunodeficient
patients |
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European Journal of Dermatology |
A 75-year-old woman was hospitalized for fatigue and a
biological inflammatory syndrome. Her medical history included
hepatitis C virus infection discovered six months prior to
hospitalization, the means of transmission of which were not
clearly apparent. |
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Fatigue
and Liver Disease |
Fatigue as a symptom which is commonly observed in patients
seen in the clinic with chronic viral hepatitis, and fatigue can
be incapacitating in some patients. However, the rigorous
examination of fatigue as a symptom in viral hepatitis has only
recently received scientific scrutiny. |
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FDA recommends approval of Hep B drug |
FDA advisory committee unanimously recommends approval for
Gilead Sciences drug adefovir for hepatitis B |
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Fibrosis to
Cirrhosis |
To clarify the characteristics of fibrosis developed in the
process from chronic hepatitis C to cirrhosis, a morphometric
analysis of liver biopsy samples was conducted on 25 chronic
hepatitis C patients and 20 chronic hepatitis B patients
(controls). Hepatitis C patients were followed up for 3 to 23
years |
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GOOD LIVER
|
"Discrimination against people with hepatitis C is often
motivated by stereotyped responses towards people on the basis
of past, current or assumed injecting drug use. The evidence to
this Enquiry clearly demonstrated that hepatitis C related
discrimination is rife. It is often the result of an inadequate
understanding of the transmissibility of hepatitis C, driven by
irrational fears about hepatitis C infection." |
Pdf 479 kb |
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HCV Management: Facing New Challenges |
Power Point
Presentation |
Pdf 425 kb |
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Health of America's Newcomers |
Newcomer
health and health care are policy issues with major outcomes of
cost shifting and enormous consequences for newcomers and the
community health nurses who promise them care |
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Hepatitis B, and prejudice, ravage a nation |
And even
though the virus is impossible to transmit by casual contact and
the government has repeatedly pledged to protect them, the
carriers suffer from rampant discrimination. They are routinely
fired from their jobs or forced out of universities or
segregated in separate dormitories. Even kindergartens have
sometimes barred them. |
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Hepatitis C – a relationship with stigma |
PowerPoint
Presentation |
116 kb |
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Hepatitis C: Choices |
Homeopathy
is a nontoxic form of medicine that was developed approximately
200 years ago by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. The word homeopathy is
derived from two words: homoios meaning similars and pathos
meaning suffering. Homeopathy is a form of medicine that uses
highly diluted pathogens or other potentially toxic substances
as remedies. These remedies provoke healing responses in a
person’s immune system, or provoke other body responses to treat
the root causes of illnesses. |
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HEPATITIS C is proving to be an occupational
hazard for healthcare workers in India. |
In this study,
the overall prevalence was found to be 4 per cent in the
hospital. The prevalence was found high in haemodialysis units
(8.33 per cent), blood banks ( 5.56 per cent) and haemodialysis
laboratories ( 4 per cent). None of the subjects, however, were
found positive in dental units and biochemical and other
laboratories |
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Hepatitis C…Overcoming the Barriers |
Presentation
concerning HCV |
534 kb pdf |
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Hepatitis C plagues mentally ill at rate 10 times national
average |
Although the
virus is found in about 1.8 percent of Americans, it infects
almost 20 percent of those with severe mental illness, research
suggests. That's because people with mental illness or substance
abuse problems are exposed to some key risks for the blood-borne
virus. |
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Hepatitis C poses threat of big crisis |
"This is
just the start of a tidal wave that is going to hit in 2015 to
2020," said Dr. Alain Litwin, an infectious-disease expert from
Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx. Litwin and
other doctors said they know an epidemic is in the making
because hepatitis C is being diagnosed with increasing
frequency, and is the No. 1 opportunistic infection causing
death in people with AIDS throughout the city. |
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Hepatitis C rate 'will soar' |
Hepatitis C Council of South Australia acting manager Kerry
Patterson said yesterday "we need to take control and remove the
barriers to accessing treatment". Every week, about 200 people
are diagnosed with the virus in Australia. A national report,
released yesterday, shows 17,200 South Australians have been
exposed to hepatitis C, with 630 estimated to have been exposed
last year. The current rate of infection in SA is 1.5 per cent
of the population. |
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Hepatitis C: The Hidden Epidemic |
But there's no
sure cure and no vaccine, and most people who get HCV remain
carriers. Moreover, there's no way to predict whose infection
will flare into a life-threatening liver disease and whose will
simmer for decades. This year an estimated 10,000 to 12,000
people will die of hepatitis C. In June 2002 a National
Institutes of Health panel predicted that this annual figure
will triple in the next two decades unless a way is found to
effectively treat or prevent the insidious disease, which has
already created a health care burden of hundreds of millions of
dollars a year. |
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Hepatitis C-To Treat or Not to Treat? who should be treated |
The difficult
question of if and when to treat those infected with Hepatitis C
Virus (HCV) can be evaluated from a myriad of perspectives,
including public health concerns, risk/benefit in corrections,
legal issues, ethical issues, and personal physician-patient
responsibility |
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Hepatitis C among predictors for Kidney Problems |
Researchers have cited hepatitis C virus (Hepatitis C
Virus) co-infection as well as several other factors for causing
proteinuria and kidney failure in women infected with HIV, in a
study published in the January 2002 issue of Kidney
International |
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Hepatitis C and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: 2003
Update
|
Hepatitis C
is a disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C
virus. The disease occurs in acute and chronic forms; symptoms
can range from mild (or even no symptoms) to severe. There are
conventional medical treatments available for hepatitis C, but
some patients also try complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM). This Research Report answers some frequently asked
questions on hepatitis C and CAM, reviews findings from
scientific research on some dietary supplements that have been
used as CAM treatments for hepatitis C (milk thistle, licorice
root, ginseng, thymus extract, schisandra, and colloidal
silver), and suggests sources for further information |
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Hepatitis C and diabetes: two rising epidemics |
An association
between HCV infection and Diabetes Mellitus has been observed
since a 1994 study by Allison and colleagues. In this study of
100 patients with cirrhosis, 50% of those with hepatitis
C-related cirrhosis had diabetes, compared with only 9% of
patients with cirrhosis unrelated to hepatitis C. |
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Hepatitis C diagnoses rise; health cost concerns spread
|
More patients
with the hepatitis C virus, the leading cause of liver failure
in the United States, are turning up in doctors offices across
Metro Detroit with liver damage - a phenomenon likely to drive
up health care costs over the next decade. The problem is not
that the virus is spreading but that more people are finding out
they're infected. The majority of people with hepatitis C - an
estimated 4 million nationwide - don't know they have it. An
estimated 180,000 Michigan residents are unknowingly infected
with the virus, state data shows. |
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Hepatitis C in HIV-infected Individuals |
The
presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection increases
morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients and
increases the risk of hepatotoxicity secondary to
anti-retroviral medications. HCV, the newest
opportunistic infection, should be treated with the hope
of decreasing these adverse outcomes. As in
immunocompetent patients, interferon-α
monotherapy appears to be less effective than
combination therapy in achieving a complete virologic
response and should be abandoned for newer modalities.
At present, though data is scarce, combination therapy
using -interferon-α with
ribavirin appears to be the most efficacious approach to
treat this population. Patients are usually treated for
12 months with interferon/ribavirin combination therapy,
though 18 months of therapy may be given to patients at
greater risk of treatment failure. |
Pdf
161 kb |
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Hepatitis C—Fact Sheet |
Lists of conditions, statistics and trends from the Center
for Disease Control |
91 kb pdf |
|
Hepatitis C symptoms-imagined or real
|
What is it
about hepatitis C that makes so many of us complain about
symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, body aches and pains, loss of
appetite, and mood swings? Are they real or imagined? |
16 kb pdf |
|
Hepatitis C-Silent Epidemic, must public Health respond
|
Report from
congress committee on Hepatitis C Virus in the USA |
6,043 kb pdf |
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Hepatitis C Symptom Emergencies |
The side
effects associated with medications for hepatitis C treatment
can cause a range of side effects, from mild to severe and life
threatening. In this article we review some of the most serious
side effects, those that may require immediate medical
attention. |
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Hepatitis C – The Next Psychiatric Epidemic? |
If the AIDS
epidemic has taught us anything, it is that there’s more to
behavior than simple cognitive choice. Most people in the United
States have been informed how to prevent contracting HIV. So who
is still getting HIV? Many are people who are vulnerable to
risky behaviors because of psychiatric illness. Who are they
getting it from? HIV infected persons who are vulnerable to
spread the virus, many because of psychiatric illnesses |
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Hepatitis C-overview of recent therapeutic advances |
Hepatitis C used to be called Non A Non B hepatitis in the
early 1970s because we had blood tests for Hepatitis A and B so
anything left over was Non A Non B. The cause of most of these
jaundice cases was found in 1989 and was called Hepatitis C
virus or Hepatitis C Virus. When blood is passed from person to
person, even in the minutest quantities. Hepatitis C Virus can
be passed |
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Hepatitis C virus replication seen in patients
with apparent viral clearance |
Hepatitis C
virus (HCV) can persist and replicate in the livers of patients
who have apparently cleared the virus from their blood after
antiviral therapy, according to a report in the November 15th
issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. |
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Hepatitis C virus-infected patients (41%) report communication
problems with physicians |
"...The
current study demonstrated that more than one-third of patients
diagnosed with HCV infection perceived interaction difficulties
with physicians. Nearly one-half of the patients with conflict
reported being misdiagnosed or inadequately treated and
questioned the competence of their physicians. In addition,
patients perceived negative attitudes and a feeling of
disrespect from their physicians. This led to a feeling of being
stigmatized, mistreated, or abandoned in more than one-fifth of
those reporting such difficult interactions....." |
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Hepatitis C: waiting for the Grim Reaper |
Until the
controversial Grim Reaper campaign alerted Australians to the
seriousness of its newly recognised AIDS epidemic, citizens of
the Lucky Country were complacent about infections. Fortunately,
the HIV epidemic has been stabilised among injecting drug users
(IDUs) in Australia by a harm reduction/public health approach
to intravenous drug use. Now we have evidence of another
important viral epidemic -- hepatitis C. Despite it being
arguably the commonest life-threatening infection in Australia,
alarm bells have not yet been rung for hepatitis C. |
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Hepatitis cases in Boston surge |
Hepatitis C cases soared by 300 percent in Boston during
the past four years, mirroring state and national trends, the
city's Public Health Commission reported yesterday. |
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Hepatitis: What Is It? |
Hepatitis is the term used to describe a nonspecific
inflammation of the liver. The causes of hepatitis can be many,
such as viral, parasitic, infiltrative, drug or alcohol induced,
or non-specific. The initial clinical presentation of the acute
phase of hepatitis may range from asymptomatic (without any
noticeable signs) to severe fatigue, jaundice (yellow
looking eyes or skin), nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. |
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History of posttransfusion hepatitis |
The risk of
hepatitis virus transmission from transfusions has
declined dramatically from that of the 1940s when
posttransfusion hepatitis (PTH) was first
appreciated. Introduction of hepatitis B surface
antigen screening and conversion to volunteer donors
for whole-blood donations in the late 1960s and early 1970s
led to substantial reduction in PTH cases. However, up to
10% of the recipients continued to develop PTH, most
cases of which were attributed to an unknown non-A,
non-B viral agent. |
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HIV,
Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C: Blood-borne Diseases |
Nurses
constantly balance occupational risks with their primary goal of
providing quality health care to all persons. Because threats to
personal well-being may affect practice, nurses must promote a
safe and healthy work environment to protect themselves, their
loved ones, patients, and coworkers.
As
front-line providers of health care, nurses have long been
exposed to blood-borne pathogens on the job. The AIDS epidemic
has heightened awareness of this and has broadened our knowledge
of other bloodborne diseases, notably hepatitis-B (HBV) and
hepatitis-C (HCV). |
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HIV lessons used in Hepatitis C treatment |
Now drug companies are beginning to test the first similar
drugs for the hepatitis C virus, which can cause fatal liver
disease and has infected far more people than H.I.V.
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Ibuprofen speeds Hepatitis C into Cirrhosis |
Patients with chronic hepatitis C often take the
over-the-counter non-steroidal drug Ibuprofen (otherwise known
as Motrin or Advil) to combat the joint pain that often
accompanies the disease. But even a low dose could lead to
unsuspected liver damage. |
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Illegal Drug Users Need/Deserve Treatment for Hepatitis C
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University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) researchers
are recommending that illicit drug users should be eligible to
receive treatment for the hepatitis C virus. |
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In a first, USC scientists show how Hepatitis C dodges
medicinal firepower |
“Hepatitis C is a ticking time bomb…It creates tremendous
social and health pressure, and is one of the most important
infectious diseases in this country.”
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175 kb pdf |
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Impact of a positive hepatitis C diagnosis on homeless injecting
drug users: a qualitative study
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Increasing numbers of injecting drug users are
presenting to primary care and a growing number of
general practices are specifically providing care for
homeless people. Injecting drug users are at the
greatest risk of hepatitis C infection and homeless drug
misusers, because of their drug-taking behaviour and
patterns, have been identified as being at greater risk
of harm of blood-borne diseases than the general
population. However, little work has been conducted with
injecting drug users or homeless people who have
hepatitis C and little is known about how the virus may
affect them. |
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While
education and awareness raising among injectors was seen
to be important, respondents felt that the
main
priority in terms of prevention should
be on reducing the re-using and sharing of injecting
equipment. However, respondents pointed to variation and
inequity in existing service provision across Scotland
and called for action to establish
standards for needle exchange services, as
well as action to improve the accountability of
NHS
Boards in relation to the planning and delivery of these
services. The view was expressed that the distribution
of sterile injecting paraphernalia (swabs, citric acid,
filters, etc.) should be routine in all needle exchange
services. |
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Job-related hepatitis C infections are hard to prove |
Many
people with hepatitis C suffer from a double whammy: They
have a potentially deadly virus, which can simmer
undetected for decades - and that makes it hard for them
to prove how they got it. As a result, veterans,
health-care workers, firefighters and others who think
they got hepatitis C by be |
