Orizaba, Ver. – Hepatitis C is a viral infection that affects the liver, which becomes inflamed and can damage other organs if left untreated, and in most cases does not cause symptoms for the first few months .
Therefore, within the framework of International Hepatitis C Day, the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in the state of Veracruz do Sul urges people to avoid dangerous situations where the infection may arise and, above all, to undergo blood tests to continuously diagnose or rule out . this condition.
Flavia Hilario Castañeda, a gastroenterologist at the First Regional General Hospital (HGR) of Orizaba, explains that hepatitis C can be acute: representing a short-term infection that can last up to 6 months; chronic infection: this It is a long-term infection that can be fatal if not treated.
He pointed out that hepatitis C is blood-borne and can be spread through: sharing needles, contact with blood or open wounds, sharing personal care items that may come into contact with blood, such as razors or toothbrushes, and through unprotected sex. , or if you were born to a mother with this disease.
Experts say that most patients will not develop symptoms, or symptoms usually appear 3 months after exposure to the virus, which may aggravate the situation, so she advises patients to be alert to symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and loss. Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, dark yellow urine, light-colored stools, or jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin).
He added that if the disease is not diagnosed and treated promptly, it can worsen over time and evolve into skin fibrosis.
liver (cirrhosis), liver cancer and liver failure, so he recommends testing to rule out any type of damage.
Finally, doctors invite eligible persons, especially those with risk factors, to the Family Medicine Department of the PrevenIMSS module for a blood test to be able to detect or rule out the condition.