Timbrt/Liver-Text-OA huggingface dataset:
Question: what is hepatitis c?
Answer: hepatitis c is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. in time it can lead to permanent liver damage as well as cirrhosis liver cancer and liver failure. many people do not know that they have hepatitis c until they already have some liver damage. this can take many years. some people who get hepatitis c have it for a short time and then get better. this is called acute hepatitis c. but most people who are infected with the virus go on to develop long-term or chronic hepatitis c. although hepatitis c can be very serious most people can manage the disease and lead active full lives. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what happens to someone when they get hepatitis c?
Answer: after you are infected with hepatitis c you enter an early shorter-term (acute) stage of the disease. some people with acute hepatitis c fight off the virus permanently and never have any liver problems. but up to 85% of people who are infected with the virus will go on to develop long-term (chronic) hepatitis c. 2 long-term infection with hepatitis c often causes tiny scars to gradually form in your liver. if you develop a lot of these scars it becomes hard for your liver to work well. about 25% of people who develop chronic hepatitis c eventually develop more serious liver problems such as cirrhosis or liver cancer usually over a period of 20 or more years. 1 acute phase most people have no symptoms immediately after they have been infected with hepatitis c. if you do not feel any different than normal you probably will not know that you have hepatitis c. even if you go to your doctor because of symptoms your symptoms may be blamed on the flu. since any symptoms are likely to go away in a few weeks you may not know you have hepatitis c for a long time. if you have an obvious symptom of hepatitis c such as jaundice or if you know you have been exposed to the blood of someone with hepatitis c then you should go to your doctor to be tested for a hepatitis c virus infection. chronic phase you will be diagnosed with chronic (long-term) hepatitis c if your liver has shown signs of infection for at least 6 months. if you have a chronic infection you will probably have some liver inflammation even if you do not have symptoms. a chronic infection can last for many years and may never go away. some people who have chronic hepatitis c never have serious liver problems. other people develop severe liver problems such as cirrhosis liver cancer or liver failure usually over a period of 20 years or longer. if the infection becomes so severe that your liver can no longer function (end-stage liver failure ) having a liver transplant may be the only way to extend your life. hepatitis c mostly causes damage to the liver. sometimes it also plays a role in other health problems. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what causes hives?
Answer: when an allergen invades or irritates your body it causes your body to unleash chemicals known as histamines. some people react to a high histamine level by developing the rash we call hives. common allergens that can provoke hives include certain milk products fish and nuts; drugs such as penicillin and aspirin; and various food additives emulsifiers flavorings and preservatives. extreme cold or heat stress and pressure on the skin may induce an attack of hives as can insect bites infections such as strep throat in children and hepatitis b in adults and -- in very rare cases -- blood transfusions.
Tags: hives
Question: what are the symptoms of hepatitis c?
Answer: there are two forms of hepatitis c. the first form is called acute hepatitis c which means that you recently became infected with the virus. the second form is called chronic hepatitis c which means that you have had an infection for more than 6 months. most people who are infected with hepatitis c develop chronic hepatitis c. but even people who have been infected for a while usually do not have symptoms. this makes it common for people to have hepatitis c for 15 years or longer before it is diagnosed. many people find out by accident that they have the virus such as when donating blood or having a routine physical exam. if symptoms do develop they may include: fatigue. joint pain. belly pain. itchy skin. sore muscles. dark urine. jaundice a condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes look yellow. hepatitis c damages your liver very slowly. about 25% of people who have long-term (chronic) hepatitis c will go on to develop severe liver damage and scarring (cirrhosis) after a period of about 20 years or more. 1 if you develop cirrhosis you may have: redness on the palms of your hands caused by expanded small blood vessels. clusters of blood vessels just below the skin that look like tiny red spiders and usually appear on your chest shoulders and face. swelling of your belly legs and feet. muscle shrinking. bleeding from enlarged veins in your digestive tract which is called variceal bleeding. variceal bleeding can be very serious even though you may not have previous symptoms of the problem. damage to your brain and nervous system which is called encephalopathy. encephalopathy can cause symptoms such as confusion and memory and concentration problems. many other health problems are associated with long-term cirrhosis. for more information see the topic cirrhosis. there also are many other conditions with similar symptoms. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what surgery options do i have for hepatitis c?
Answer: if chronic hepatitis c damages your liver so severely that it no longer works well (end-stage liver failure ) you may need a liver transplant to extend your life. liver transplants are not common. surgery choices a liver transplant is the only surgical treatment that can help people with end-stage liver failure. what to think about liver transplantation is a risky expensive procedure. and donor organs are hard to come by. most of the time only people who are in good health (other than having liver disease) are considered for a transplant. you will not be considered if you are using alcohol or drugs or have certain mental health problems. after a liver transplant you will need lifelong follow-up care by a specialist. you also will need to take immunosuppressant medicine to keep your body from rejecting the new liver. this medicine may cause other problems. hepatitis c almost always infects the newly transplanted liver. recurring liver disease after a transplant can be a serious problem and may cause the new organ to fail. but most patients do very well after a liver transplant and are able to live normal lives. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
Tags: hepatitis c, surgery
Question: what causes hepatitis c?
Answer: hepatitis c is a liver disease that is caused by infection with the hepatitis c virus a virus that lives in your liver cells. how it spreads you cannot get hepatitis c from casual contact such as hugging kissing sneezing coughing or sharing food or water with someone. you can get hepatitis c if you come into contact with the blood of someone who has hepatitis c. the most common way to get hepatitis c is by sharing needles and other equipment (such as cotton spoons and water) used to inject illegal drugs. if you are injecting drugs the best way to protect yourself is by not sharing needles or other equipment with others. many cities have needle exchange programs that provide free sterile needles so that you do not have to share needles. if you want to stop using drugs ask your doctor or someone you trust to help you get into a drug treatment program. before 1992 people could get hepatitis c through blood transfusions and organ transplants. since 1992 all donated blood and organs are screened for hepatitis c so it is now rare to get the virus this way. in rare cases a mother with hepatitis c spreads the virus to her baby at birth or a health care worker is accidentally exposed to blood that is infected with hepatitis c. experts are not sure whether you can get hepatitis c through sexual contact. if there is a risk of getting the virus through sexual contact it is very small. your risk is especially low if you are in a long-term monogamous relationship. if you live with someone who has hepatitis c or you know someone with hepatitis c you generally do not need to worry about getting the disease. you can help protect yourself by not sharing anything that may have blood on it such as razors toothbrushes and nail clippers. contagious and incubation periods the incubation period is the time it takes for symptoms to appear after the hepatitis c virus has entered your body and it is any time from 2 weeks to 6 months. anyone who has hepatitis c can spread the virus to someone else. if testing shows you have hepatitis c do not share needles. and keep cuts scrapes and blisters covered. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what can i do to treat hepatitis c at home?
Answer: rest good nutrition exercise avoid drugs and alcohol
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what is the treatment for chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: for hepatitis c combination therapy using pegylated interferon and ribavirin is currently the treatment of choice.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what kind of medical specialist treats hepatitis c?
Answer: hepatitis c is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis c virus. technically since hepatitis c is an infectious disease one might think that an infectious disease specialist (a subspecialty of internal medicine) would be the appropriate medical specialist to see. hepatitis c is more than a simple infection however. it usually is a chronic infection that often is associated with important damage to the liver. because of this fact patients with hepatitis c are most commonly referred for treatment to a specialist in gastroenterology (also a subspecialty of internal medicine). gastroenterologists specialize in diseases of all of the gastrointestinal organs including the liver. moreover there are gastroenterologists who specialize in diseases of the liver including hepatitis c. these specialists are called hepatologists. ("hepar" means liver. ) whether patients with hepatitis c are treated by gastroenterologists or hepatologists depends on the expertise (gastroenterology or hepatology) available in the community the severity of any associated liver disease and the complexity of the contemplated treatment.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what kind of medical specialist treats hepatitis c?
Answer: gastroenteologists
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: are there new and effective hepatitis c treatments in development?
Answer: not one but two effective new hep c treatments got a strong endorsement from an fda advisory panel. merck’s victrelis (boceprevir) was recently approved and vertex’s telaprevir (no brand name yet) should soon get full fda approval. about two-thirds of people are cured when either of the new drugs is added to current treatment. the telaprevir combination takes six months — half the time of current treatment — while victrelis treatment lasts eight to 12 months. as usual in the world of hepatitis c treatment there are serious downsides to both drugs. the biggest downside is that people who take them still have to take the standard treatment of alpha interferon and ribavirin. taking these drugs is like having a bad case of the flu that lasts for months. unfortunately the combination of standard treatment with either of the new drugs is even harder to take. each drug adds to the anemia from the interferon/ribavirin combo. some 40% of people taking victrelis get so anemic they need expensive doses of the anti-anemia drug erythropoietin. and a nasty rash is a common side effect with telaprevir. the two drugs work in essentially the same way. both are protease inhibitors which mean they attack a hepatitis c virus (hcv) enzyme that is essential for the virus to make new copies of itself. each of the drugs brings virus replication to a near halt. but when used alone hcv quickly becomes resistant to each of the new drugs. that’s why they have to be given in combination. meanwhile people with hepatitis c wonder when they’ll see the really big breakthrough everyone is waiting for — a drug combination that works for nearly everyone and which does not require either interferon or ribavirin. such treatments are in the pipeline. some experts say they may come in as few as two or three years while others say it will be a decade before they’re finally here. what is for sure is that telaprevir and victrelis are just the first in what is hoped will be a long line of treatment options for people with the deadly hepatitis c virus.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what is the prognosis for people with chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: in the best case the treatment will achieve a sustained virological response (svr) which means that the hepatitis c virus is not detectable in the blood six months after treatment ends. an svr is the goal of treatment. although the virus is not eradicated its growth is suppressed. the chance of achieving an svr depends mostly on the genotype or strain of the virus. an svr is achieved in approximately 45% of patients with genotype one and between 65% and 75% of patients with genotype two or three. successful treatment should be followed by regular check-ups and a healthy lifestyle. although the overall prognosis for chronic hepatitis c is good some people will progress to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. a liver transplant may be an option but any replacement liver will also become infected with hepatitis c.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what are symptoms of chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: many people who get hepatitis c do not experience symptoms for a number of years. consequently many do not find out they have the virus until they take a blood test for other reasons. in people with chronic hepatitis c symptoms they may include: fatigue upset stomach and diminished appetite joint and muscle pain also patients may experience symptoms related to liver cirrhosis such as: jaundice which is a yellowing of the skin and eyes urine being a dark yellow color an increased tendency to bleed or bruise the presence of hepatitis c infection can be determined by a blood test checking for the presence of antibodies to the virus. anyone in any of the at-risk groups is advised to be tested. if this test is positive another blood test to check for the presence of the virus is also done. liver enzymes and other blood tests to evaluate liver function will often be used in monitoring disease. additional testing may include liver biopsy and imaging.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what treatments are available for chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: treatment of chronic hepatitis c varies depending on the individual. a person with chronic hepatitis c may not need or benefit from treatment. some people may not be able to tolerate treatment because of side effects. currently the fda has approved the following treatments for hepatitis c: pegylated interferon alfa-2a pegylated interferon alfa-2b ribavirin standard interferon alfa interferon is a naturally occurring protein that fights infection. injecting more interferon helps the body fight the hepatitis c virus. pegylated interferon is usually preferred as it only requires a single shot every week and has been found to be more effective. this is usually combined with ribavirin a medication that combats certain viruses and is taken orally in capsule form along with interferon. a third class of drugs known as protease inhibitors is awaiting approval by the fda. if approved these may be added to the existing combination in future treatments. this combination therapy usually lasts between 24 and 48 weeks. many people do not experience side effects when taking the treatment but it is possible you may feel fatigue and flu-like symptoms. your doctor may stop the treatment if you experience too many side effects. other common side effects of interferons include fatigue muscle pain headache nausea vomiting weight loss and depression and changes to your blood cell counts. side effects of ribavirin include anemia skin rash fatigue and nose/sinus congestion. prior to starting the treatment you may wish to organize medical leave or reduce working hours in case it makes you feel ill.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what are risk factors for chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: to become infected with hepatitis c virus the blood of an infected person enters the body of someone who is not infected. the most common ways this occurs include sharing needles or other equipment used to inject drugs needle-stick injuries in a health care setting or getting infected as a result of birth from a mother with hepatitis c. it is also possible but less likely to become infected with shared use of personal care items such as toothbrushes and razors. infection is also possible through sexual contact with an infected person. the risk increases with the more sex partners you have the presence of sexually transmitted disease hiv infection and rough sex. hepatitis c is not spread by casual contact kissing coughing sneezing sharing utensils or breastfeeding. other people with greater risk of infection include: people with tattoos or body piercing done with non-sterile equipment. people who received an organ transplant or blood transfusion before july 1992. people with clotting problems who took blood products prior to 1987. people receiving hemodialysis or who have a history of hemodialysis for kidney failure. people with hiv infection. since july 1992 all blood and organ donations in the u. s. are screened for the hepatitis c virus. according to the cdc the number of hepatitis c infections declined by 90% from 1994 to 2006 partially as a result of this.
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: i know how you can get hepititis c but how can you get b or a. my husbands brother has hhepititis but doesnt remeber if its a b or c and just slept with my best friend if he has a or b can she get it
Answer: this is a good question. "hepatitis" refers to inflammation of the liver. the "a " "b " and "c" designations refer to different causes of the inflammation. hepatitis a is a virus transmitted through the stool of infected people. hepatitis a is the type of hepatitis you get when someone doesn't wash their hands after going to the bathroom and then prepares food which you subsequently eat. in a healthy adult hepatitis a infection usually doesn't require any treatment. it clears up on its own over the course of weeks to months and doesn't cause any long-term problems. hepatitis b also is caused by a virus but it's a distinctly different virus than the one that causes hep-a. hepatitis b is transmitted through unprotected sex unsterilized tattoo needles shared drug needles and so on. many people who get hep-b don't even know they have it. it often clears up and goes away without treatment. if a person has been immunized against hep-b and has a sufficient level of antibodies in their system they can't get the virus even through unprotected sex. a doctor can do a simple blood test for hep-b antibodies to determine if a person has (or had) hepatitis b or if they've had the vaccination for it. hepatitis c is spread only through direct contact with infected blood. it's unlikely to get hepatitis c through unprotected sex. hep-c is most commonly spread by the shared use of infected needles when injecting illegal drugs. hep-c also can be spread through the re-use of contaminated tattoo needles and piercing equipment. so to answer your question if your brother-in-law has hepatitis c it's unlikely he could transmit that through unprotected sex. on the other hand hepatitis b is commonly spread through sexual relations. please remind your friend and your brother-in-law to always practice safe sex. hepatitis is just one of many potential sexually transmitted diseases a person can contract from having unprotected sex. diseases like genital herpes and human papillomavirus are incurable. it's not worth the risk. best to you!
Tags: hepatitis c
Question: what is chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: chronic hepatitis c is a persistent infection by the hepatitis c virus (hcv). acute hepatitis c refers to the initial illness from infection within six months of becoming infected. most people (up to 85%) with acute hepatitis c move on to chronic hepatitis c infection. the general term hepatitis refers to an inflammation of the liver which can also be caused by non-viral causes.
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Question: why is a liver biopsy important for managing chronic hepatitis c?
Answer: blood tests can tell the clinician whether hepatitis c infection is present but cannot tell the level of liver damage that has occurred. liver biopsy allows the clinician to determine how much inflammation and scarring are present in a small sample of liver tissue. liver biopsy may be recommended when the clinician is uncertain about whether to begin treatment or wishes to monitor the response within the liver to therapy.
Tags: hepatitis c, liver, biopsy
Question: what is the current research and what is in the future for hepatitis c?
Answer: as our awareness of hepatitis c infection increases more and more patients are being diagnosed with this condition. current research includes diagnosis natural history treatment and vaccine development. diagnosis: more accurate tests are being developed to detect even smaller amounts of the virus. natural history: there is much we do not know about the natural history of chronic hcv. why do some people clear the virus spontaneously? what makes some people develop cirrhosis when others appear to have little liver damage? what predicts response to treatment or retreatment? treatment: new formulations of interferon are being developed in the hopes of improving response rates. in addition new agents are being tested in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. some of these agents like telaprevir inhibit protease enzymes that hcv needs in order to reproduce. vaccine development: scientists have not been able to develop an effective vaccine against hcv. this is partly due to the ability of the hcv to change (mutate) and evade the body's immune responses.
Tags: hepatitis c