Hepatitis C screening

Hepatitis C, including more than 500,000 subjects with France, could pose serious public health problems in the years to come because this hepatitis, most often asymptomatic (no symptoms that giving attention) can cause after a few decades of cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Given that treatment can be very effective, it is very important to screen all subjects at risk.

They are:

- Patients who were transfused before 1991

- Dialysis before 1991

- Hemophiliacs who received blood products before 1991

- Kidney and heart transplant before 1991

- Subjects who underwent surgery to heavy bleeding, even if they do not have the notion that a transfusion could be made before their 1991

- The tattooed,

- The prison population,

- Major road accident before 1991

- Families of patients (it must explain the method of possible transmission by blood, so it is essential that the toiletry items are strictly personal)

- Persons who underwent endoscopy, especially if BIOPSY was performed on the occasion of this review,

- Subjects with unexplained fatigue.

Sexual contamination has been described but remains marginal.

Must advise those people sexual abstention menstrual period or in case of genital sores and wearing a condom for multiple partners.

You should know that 75% of subjects with pass the stage of chronicity, and some of these issues present a CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS which may progress to cirrhosis or cancer.

The laboratory diagnosis is made on the identification of antivirus antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV).

In case of a positive test, qualitative research of viral RNA in serum by the technique of polymerase chain reaction may be useful:

- To establish a pretreatment assessment and evaluation of the usefulness of this treatment,

- To diagnose infection in a child born to an infected mother

- To highlight the viral replication in people with normal transaminases repeatedly

- To make sure the responsibility of hepatitis C in liver disease with many possible causes.

If negative or discordant test:

- In acute liver disease of unknown cause after eliminating possible causes,

- In patients with chronic liver disease of unknown cause after eliminating possible causes, especially in immunocompromised transplant and dialysis,

- In case of a systemic disease that may be associated with HCV,

- To establish an early diagnosis in case of risk of occupational accidental contamination in particular.

If the laboratory diagnosis is positive, it must cause liver BIOPSY that specifies the degree of disease activity, which will lead to the eventual treatment.

View:

- HEPATITIS C

- HEPATITIS C TRANSAMINASES A NORMAL

- HEPATITIS C ACTION TO BE TAKEN

- HEPATITIS C VIRUS DIFFERENT

- HEPATITIS C CLINIC EVOLUTION

- RESPONSE TO HEPATITIS C TREATMENT

- HEPATITIS C SUBJECT TO RISKS

- HEPATITIS C ASSOCIATIONS