Can hepatitis C affect a normally functioning liver?

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I am reviewing your case history and will get back to you in a while.

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At your age, if you were to contract hepatitis C today with an underlying normal liver (no other issues in the liver like fatty liver, or alcohol-induced liver issues), it would take around 20 years to develop cirrhosis. If your liver is mildly affected by other issues, as I mentioned above, then superimposed hepatitis C would damage the liver a bit earlier, but that would be in years too, not in months. My suggestion would be that you evaluate yourself for hepatitis C by getting a very basic test known as an anti-HCV (antibodies to hepatitis C virus) antibody. We usually screen for hepatitis B and C together, so you can get the anti-HCV antibody and hep B surface antigen; these two are simple screening tests for hepatitis B and C. A simple ultrasound of the abdomen can tell you your liver status and liver function tests can assess whether there are ongoing liver issues. These investigations are very basic and can easily answer your questions regarding whether you have hepatitis C or not and what your current liver status is otherwise.

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Antibody testing for hepatitis C, such as the anti-HCV antibody, is a screening test. If you want to directly go for a confirmation test, then hepatitis C RNA PCR (hepatitis C ribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction) is the most reliable test to determine whether a person is suffering from hepatitis C or not. We always perform a PCR test before starting medication to confirm infection and later recheck the PCR to confirm eradication after completion of treatment.

Wishing you excellent health.

Regards.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

In my professional opinion, no, I am not concerned that if you were to contract hepatitis C today, it would damage your liver to an extent that we usually refer to as end-stage liver disease (cirrhosis) in the next one to two decades. Naturally, hepatitis C takes around 20 to 25 years to cause end-stage liver damage. On the other hand, from 2010 onwards, we have the best possible medicine against hepatitis C. A single pill (combination of two drugs) taken once a day for just three months can cure hepatitis C with a success rate of 95 to 99 percent (an excellent success rate). May I ask one thing: why are you very concerned or afraid of hepatitis C, especially when it is not considered a very serious liver problem these days? Especially when you have not checked for it yet, there may be no disease in the body at all.

Wishing you the best health.

Thank you.