The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in the state of Norte Veracruz maintains a testing and treatment program for a cure for hepatitis C that guarantees an effectiveness rate of more than 95%, a state-of-the-art treatment since 2017 It has been approved and allowed to cure this disease in patients with or without chronic liver damage and even degree of cirrhosis since years.
In this sense, hepatitis C may be silent, explains Edgar Omar Ceballos Romero, gastroenterologist at Hospital No. 71 (HGZ), Because some people don’t have any symptoms despite having hepatitis C, or have non-specific symptoms. symptoms, which is why it is important to get tested if they are patients with risk factors.
Likewise, Ceballos Romero comments that the risk of this disease is increased due to needle sharing; IV drug users, relationships without condom use, blood transfusions before 1992, people born between 1945 and 1965, health work infected persons or mothers and infants, and contact with secretions or blood of infected persons.
Once hepatitis C is detected, with these screening tests, the diagnosis can be confirmed by the viral load in the blood, and if positive, a doctor will prescribe treatment, including oral direct-acting antiviral drugs for 8 or 12 weeks Edgar· Omar Ceballos Romero said one must start to avoid the development of the disease, which can even lead to liver cancer.
Finally, the specialists at HGZ 71 refer the beneficiary to the appropriate family medicine department for hepatitis C care and guidance.