Hepatitis C Nursing Nursing Assignment

Introduction: Hepatitis C is virus infected disease which can cause serious liver damage. The virus can spread through the contaminated blood or body fluid. The patient is prone to the virus when the following conditions are there:

• Infected needles.
• Unprotected intercourse.
• Through out pregnancy.
• Sharing the personal things.
• Contaminated equipment.

Symptoms: In between the incubation period of virus the symptoms are shown. The symptoms are as follows:

• High temperature.
• Pain in stomach.
• Vomiting blood.
• Loss of body weight gradually.
• Joint pain.
• Dark color urine.
• Fluid buildup in body.
• Gallbladder stone.
• Failure of kidney.
• Bleeding easily and severe itching.
• Loss of memory.

Stages of Hepatitis C Virus:

• Incubationperiod: The period is mostly in between 2 to 12 weeks in which the body get exposed to the disease.
• AcuteHepatitisC: The period persists when the virus enters to the victim to the body get rid of it and the time period is 6 months.
• Chronic Hepatitis C: If the body is not get immune against the virus even after 6 months then the condition is chronic and it may lead to liver cancer or cirrhosis.
• Cirrhosis: In this condition the healthy liver cells turn into scar tissue which is a inflammated liver which is even worse if the patient is alcoholic or having HIV.
• Liver cancer: The last stage is called liver cancer which is fatal and needs to screening in a regular interval of time as it has no symptoms in the early stage.

Diagnosis:

• AntiHCVantibodies: These antibodies are made by the immune system when Hepatitis C Virus is present. The test results positive when these antibodies are present and negative when these are absent.
• HCVRNA: It counts the genetic material of virus, RNA in the victim's blood.

Treatment: Interferon, peginterferone, ribavirin are the medications for chronic hepatitis C but having side effects as well for this like diarrhea, depression, restlessness, nausea, skin rashes, anemia.

Advanced medications includes daclastasvir, sofosbuvir, ledipasvir- sofosbuvir, glecaprevir and pibrentasvir, ribavirin. The medications have to prescribed by the physician.

Prevention: Hepatitis C can’t be cured by vaccination. So better to avoid the virus to getting infections.

• Using condoms during intercourse.
• Personal items not be shared.
• Don’t use contaminated equipments.
• Be careful when it comes to piercing.