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Health Line
14 hours ago
- Health
- Health Line
The Progression of Hepatitis C: What Are the Stages?
Key takeaways Every case of hepatitis C begins as an acute infection. Infections that last more than 6 months are considered chronic. Many people with hepatitis C end up with chronic hepatitis C that can last a lifetime. The consequences of long-term infection include liver damage, liver cancer, and even death. Early detection and treatment are key for stopping the progression of hepatitis C and avoiding major complications. Hepatitis C is an infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that leads to liver inflammation. Symptoms can be mild for many years, even while liver damage is taking place. Many people with hepatitis C end up with chronic hepatitis C that can last a lifetime. The consequences of long-term infection include liver damage, liver cancer, and even death. Early detection and treatment are key for stopping the progression of hepatitis C and avoiding major complications. How HCV is transmitted HCV is a bloodborne pathogen. That means the virus is transmitted through contact with blood that contains HCV. To reduce your risk of exposure: Avoid sharing razors, nail clippers, toothbrushes, and other personal hygiene items. Avoid sharing needles, syringes, and other sharps. Disinfect wounds and surfaces touched by blood and other bodily fluids as soon as possible. Patronize tattoo and body piercing studios that practice proper sterilization practices. HCV usually isn't transmitted through sexual contact, but it's possible. Using condoms, gloves, and other barrier methods during sexual activity can help reduce your risk. Birthing parents with HCV can also transmit the virus during childbirth, but not through nursing. Early warning signs In most cases, there are no early warning signs. Most people are symptom-free and remain unaware of the infection. Others experience mild symptoms, such as fatigue and loss of appetite, which tend to resolve independently. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 30% of people clear the infection within 6 months of exposure without medical intervention. Acute hepatitis C The acute phase of hepatitis C is the first 6 months after contracting HCV. Early symptoms may include: fever fatigue loss of appetite nausea and vomiting In most cases, symptoms clear up within a few weeks. If your immune system doesn't fight the infection on its own, it enters the chronic phase. Given the vague nature of the symptoms, hepatitis C may go unnoticed for years. It's often discovered during a blood test that's being done for other reasons. Chronic hepatitis C Approximately 70% of people will go on to develop chronic hepatitis C. However, even in the chronic phase, it may take years for symptoms to show. The progression begins with inflammation of the liver, followed by the death of liver cells. This causes scarring and hardening of liver tissue. Roughly 15–30% of people with chronic hepatitis C go on to develop cirrhosis of the liver within 20 years. Cirrhosis of the liver When permanent scar tissue replaces healthy liver cells, and your liver loses the ability to function, it's called cirrhosis. In this condition, your liver can no longer heal itself. This can cause fluid to build up in your abdomen and the veins in your esophagus to bleed. When the liver fails to filter toxins, they can build up in your bloodstream and impair brain function. Cirrhosis of the liver can sometimes develop into liver cancer. This risk is greater in people who drink excess alcohol. Treatment of cirrhosis depends on the progression of the condition. End-stage hepatitis C Chronic hepatitis C can cause serious long-term health consequences when it leads to liver scarring. End-stage hepatitis C occurs when the liver is severely damaged and can no longer function properly. Symptoms may include: fatigue nausea and vomiting loss of appetite abdominal swelling yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) muddled thinking People with cirrhosis may also experience bleeding in the esophagus, as well as brain and nervous system damage. A liver transplant is the only treatment for end-stage liver disease. Factors that affect the progression Because alcohol is processed in the liver, consumption of excess alcohol can hasten liver damage, so it's important not to drink it. Damage also progresses faster in people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV. People who also have hepatitis B are at an increased risk of developing liver cancer. Males who have cirrhosis tend to experience faster disease progression than females. People over 40 with cirrhosis also experience faster disease progression than younger people. If you suspect that you have hepatitis C, consult with a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Early detection and treatment are the best ways to prevent and treat any serious complications or progression. Frequently asked questions What is the life expectancy of a person with hepatitis C? Many people live for years after receiving a hepatitis C diagnosis. Your outlook ultimately depends on the stage at diagnosis, whether liver damage has occurred, and your overall health. How many people experience long-term complications of hepatitis C? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 5–25 out of every 100 people who have hepatitis C develop cirrhosis within 10–20 years. People who develop cirrhosis have a 3–6% annual risk of hepatic decompensation or 'decompensated' cirrhosis. This occurs when your liver function decreases and may be a sign of end-stage hepatitis C. People who develop cirrhosis also have a 1–4% annual risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common type of primary liver cancer. What are the chances of dying from hepatitis C? Hepatitis C alone typically isn't fatal, but complications from untreated or advanced hepatitis C can be. People who develop decompensated cirrhosis, for example, have a 15–20% risk of death within a year of diagnosis. If you have questions about your outlook, talk with your healthcare professional. They're the only person with direct insight into your diagnosis and medical history.
Medscape
20 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
Early, Aggressive BP Lowering Tied to Better ICH Outcomes
Initiating intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering within a few hours of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) was associated with better neurologic outcomes, fewer serious adverse events, and better mortality compared to the more conservative standard treatment, new research confirmed. Best results were found when treatment was administered within 3 hours of ICH symptoms, a pooled analysis of the four Intensive BP Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage Trials (INTERACT1-4) showed. While current guidelines set a target systolic BP of < 180 mm Hg within 1 hour of ICH symptom onset, the intensive treatment systolic target is < 140 Hg within 1 hour. The new findings were published online on June 18 in The Lancet Neurology . Timing Dependent? In addition to evaluating the safety and efficacy of early intensive treatment for ICH, the investigators also aimed to assess the impact of treatment timing. The INTERACT1-3 studies included 10,269 adults with acute ACH who presented within 6 hours of symptom onset and had a systolic BP of > 150 mm Hg. INTERACT4 included 1043 patients with suspected acute stroke who had a systolic BP of ≥ 150 mm Hg within 2 hours of symptom onset. In addition, 1029 study participants had a hemorrhagic form of stroke. All were randomly assigned to receive either intensive or guideline recommended BP-lowering treatment with locally available BP drugs within 1 hour. Scores on the modified Rankin scale were used to determine functional recovery, the primary outcome measure for the pooled analysis. Additionally, a CT substudy of nearly 3000 INTERACT participants was conducted to measure hematoma volume. Mean systolic BP rates at 1 hour were significantly lower for the intensive treatment group compared to the guideline group (149.6 mm Hg vs 158.8 mm Hg, respectively; P < .0001). Poor physical function, defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 3-6 at the end of follow-up, was significantly less likely after intensive BP lowering (odds ratio [OR], .85; P = .0001). The intensive group also had reduced odds of neurologic deterioration within 7 days compared to the guideline group (OR, .76; P = .0002), as well as lower odds of any serious adverse event (OR, .84; P = .0003) or death (OR, .83; P = .002). CT substudy results showed no significant effect on either relative or absolute hematoma growth in the first 24 hours from intensive vs guideline treatment. However, when intensive BP lowering was initiated within 3 hours of symptom onset, functional recovery was improved and hematoma growth was reduced in almost 25% of the patients with serial CT scans, investigators noted. Patients with mild-to-moderate severity, as measured by ICH scores, had even greater reductions in hematoma growth after early intensive BP-lowering treatment. The new pooled analysis of all four INTERACT trials confirms findings from INTERACT4, presented at the 2024 European Stroke Organization Conference Annual Meeting and reported by Medscape Medical News . 'Time Is Brain' In an accompanying editorial, David J. Werring, PhD, Department of Translational Neuroscience and Stroke, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, noted that several previous studies showed no benefit of BP lowering in acute ischemic stroke, 'probably because acutely elevated blood pressure has a role in maintaining brain perfusion.' However, the pathophysiology of stroke from ICH 'is different, with a major role for hematoma expansion within the first few hours, a therapeutic target which might be reduced' by intensive BP lowering, he wrote. Still, Werring noted that possible benefits need to be weighed against possible risks; and he pointed out several study limitations, such as the low severity of ICH overall and the inclusion of INTERACT3 data, which may have introduced confounding from BP lowering being just one component of its treatment 'bundle,' alongside strict glucose control and anticoagulant reversal. 'Notwithstanding these important limitations, the data presented make a compelling case for ultra-early intensive blood pressure reduction as a potentially useful intervention to improve outcomes in people with acute ICH,' he wrote, adding that more research is needed. 'Meanwhile, the clear message from this meta-analysis is that earlier treatment is better, meaning that, once again, time is brain for patients with ICH,' Werring concluded.
Sky News
12-06-2025
- Health
- Sky News
How the assisted dying debate is dividing doctors as politicians prepare to vote on bill
There are few issues more controversial, more divisive. Assisted dying polarises opinion. But it's a difficult conversation that needs to be had because ultimately death affects us all. Even if you are fortunate enough to never be directly impacted by an assisted death you will almost certainly be indirectly affected if the End of Life Bill passes into law. It would be the biggest social change to British society many of us would ever see in our lifetimes. And after patients and their immediate families, it's the country's doctors who will be the most affected by any change in the law. Like society, the medical community is divided on the issue. One senior doctor said: "It's like Brexit, but worse." Another told me: "Emotions are running high". These are the milder, reportable comments. There is bitterness and mistrust. The deep-rooted anger leads to each side accusing the other of deliberately spreading misinformation, "what-iffery" and "shenanigans" in the lead-up to the final vote next week. We asked two senior doctors to share their views on assisted dying with us and each other. Dr Mark Lee is a consultant in palliative care. "I have worked in this field for 25 years and looked after thousands of patients at the end of their lives. I am against the assisted dying bill because I believe it poses risks to patients, to families, to doctors and to palliative care." 'We can get this right' Dr Jacky Davis is a consultant radiologist and a campaigner for assisted dying legislation in this country. One of the arguments put forward by opponents of assisted dying is that Britain ranks highest among countries in its delivery of palliative care. And there is no need for such a radical change in end of life care. It is not an argument Dr Davis accepts. She said: "The status quo at the moment means a number of people are dying bad deaths every day. 300 million people around the world have access to assisted dying and more legislation is in the pipeline and no place that has taken up a law on assisted dying has ever reversed it. So we can learn from other places, we can get this right, we can offer people a compassionate choice at the end of life." Most deaths in palliative care 'peaceful' Dr Lee accepts palliative care has its limitations but this is a result of underfunding. This national conversation, he argues, is an opportunity to address some of those failings and improve end of life care. "I think the NHS currently is not resourcing the situation enough to be able to provide the patients with the choice that they need to get the care that they needed and that is because they are not getting the choice and because palliative care is patchy. But in my day-to-day work, and I've worked in palliative care for 25 years, normal death is peaceful, comfortable, and does not involve people dying in pain." "I absolutely agree with Mark," Dr Davis responded. "The vast majority of people will die a peaceful death and do not have the need for an assisted death. And I absolutely am with him that palliative care in this country has been treated abysmally. Nobody should have to hold a jumble sale in order to fund a hospice. That's terrible. "What I didn't hear from Mark is, while the vast majority of people will die a peaceful death and have got nothing to fear facing death, there are people who have diagnoses where they know that they are likely to face a difficult death and will face a difficult death. "What are you offering to the people who aren't going to die a peaceful death? And what are you offering to people who are so afraid that that's going to happen that they will take their own lives or will go abroad to seek an assisted death?" Concerns about pressure on NHS One important voice that has been missing from the national assisted dying debate is that of the NHS. Senior leaders will not speak on the issue until the fate of the bill is decided. And its understandable why. It is not clear what role the health service would have if the bill passes. 0:32 Dr Lee warned that his NHS colleagues were "extremely worried", going further to say assisted dying would "break the NHS". He added, that the country's already under-pressure hospice sector would struggle to cope with staff "walking away from the job if they are forced to be involved in any way". Dr Davis refuses to accept these warnings, arguing that the challenge to the health service is being overstated. "I think it's really important to take a step back and say this would be a very small number of deaths. And this is very small in terms of the other things that are coming through big drug discoveries, big new surgeries, all the rest of it this would be very small in terms in terms of money." The two doctors did agree on one thing. That every patient is entitled to a pain free and dignified death. 1:12 Dr Lee said: "I look at the whites of the eyes of people every day with that. I stand in that place every day. And that is shameful that anyone in this day and age should die in that position. Jacky and I can agree on that. That is unacceptable. But it still doesn't justify the response that we meet suffering with killing someone, rather than addressing the needs that are in front of us." Dr Davis responded by saying: "You say you've looked in the whites of patients' eyes at the end, and I'd say looking into the whites of patients eyes and listening to what they're asking for when they've been offered everything that you can offer them and they're still saying, 'I've had enough', then we should follow the example of other countries and say, 'we will help you'." These are the two very divided opinions of two NHS doctors, but these are the same arguments that will be taking place in hospitals, hospices, offices, factories and living rooms across the country. In about a week's time, it will be down to the politicians to decide.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Eye contact and earlier diagnosis: How AI is transforming front-line health care in B.C.
British Columbia's medical community is buzzing with enthusiasm and ideas, personal anecdotes and concerns, as the adoption of artificial intelligence becomes increasingly mainstream – and valuable. While a handful of family doctors have been using tools like AI scribes for years, Dr. Inderveer Mahal began relying on Heidi Health for summaries of her patient interactions last year, and is considered an early adopter of the technology. 'We're often busy typing while also speaking to our patients, and it is so nice to be able to look at a patient, look at their body language, be focused on how I communicate versus also trying to type and document the visits,' she explained. There are currently no requirements to notify patients that an app is listening and generating a synopsis of a visit when the audio isn't being recorded, but Mahal makes sure that she mentions it at the start of an appointment. And while she has to review the generated summary to ensure it's accurate and make corrections, Mahal said she saves hours per week, meaning 'less screen time, less mental fatigue, less administrative tasks.' A second set of eyes for diagnosis The University of British Columbia now has a special hub for staff, students and clinicians working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, research, and health care, putting the university at the forefront of this new frontier. 'A few years ago, as the AI revolution took hold, there were some fears among some clinicians that they could replaced,' said UBC associate professor of biomedical engineering Roger Tam. 'Now, in many cases, it's used basically as what they call a second reader, so the AI provides an opinion, but the radiologists are the clinician is still in the driver's seat and they are the ones who still make the primary call.' Tam explained that while radiologists are highly skilled at identifying cancers from medical scans, for example, machine learning algorithms are trained on thousands of images, which allows them to detect some serious illnesses before the patient shows any of the typical signs. 'These diseases can be asymptomatic for a long time,' he said. '(AI) is able to see things that humans can't, that's why the two work so well together.' New medical school will incorporate AI The founding dean of Simon Fraser University's coming medical school in Surrey has been dabbling with artificial intelligence tools for a decade and expects that scribe summaries will be the norm within the next five years in family doctors' offices. That's why Dr. David Price is already planning for incoming medical students to incorporate artificial intelligence technologies from day one. 'It's going to be a core part of the curriculum, absolutely, and it's going to be really embedded through everything that we do,' he said. 'I'm sure every medical school is helping their students in their residence and their fellowship to understand how to use these tools responsibly.' Price believes that aside from being a significant time-saver for clerical tasks, artificial intelligence software can be a powerful tool for researching symptoms and treatments – as long as it's drawing from reputable, verified, reliable sources. 'So many times, a recommendation comes up and it may or may not be appropriate for you and in your particular life circumstances in your particular value set, your desires, for your own health,' he said. 'We need to understand those nuances so that at the end of the day, (the treatment) is a decision between the patient and their physician or their clinician.' This is the first part in a CTV Vancouver series taking a deep dive into the use of artificial intelligence in health care.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The game-changing new test that can spot a severe condition endured by millions of women early - and spare them from years of agony
It affects one in ten women, causes severe pain and can reduce the chances of having a child. And yet it can take years for endometriosis – where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body – to be diagnosed; some women suffer for almost a decade before it is identified.
