"Hepatitis C Virus" A silent threat that can cause more harm than you think

Hepatitis C virus… few people know about this dangerous virus, even though in Thailand, 1-2% of the population has been found to be infected.. and the number is increasing!! This virus is very small, even an electron microscope cannot see it clearly. Once infected with this virus.. patients show no symptoms. By the time they start to notice unusual fatigue, they often already have cirrhosis of the liver.. or in some cases, it can be as severe as liver cancer!!!

Hepatitis C virus… is a virus that can be transmitted through blood and blood components, possibly from sharing needles, tattooing, ear piercing, acupuncture with unclean and improperly sterilized equipment… which is the cause of transmission of this virus. Therefore, patients can live in society with others.. can eat together, can have children and breastfeed normally.

Diagnosis can be done by blood test and then testing the serum for antibodies against the hepatitis C virus, called “Anti-HCV”. Results take about 3-7 days. For those with positive results… confirmation by direct virus testing is recommended.

Only about 15% of patients… can clear the virus from their body after infection, while 85% develop chronic symptoms. Patients should see a doctor to check AST and ALT levels to assess the degree of inflammation. However… the virus levels fluctuate and do not necessarily correlate with the severity of inflammation symptoms.

Besides continuous medical follow-up… patients can live and exercise normally! But it is important to get enough rest. Absolutely no alcohol consumption is allowed because alcohol increases virus replication and accelerates liver damage.