Posted: 25-Sep-2006 << BACK
The Silent Killer www.thesun.co.uk
Secret Shock Of Hepatitis C
SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 by Jane Symons
PEOPLE are dying through ignorance of Hepatitis C.
Just 70,000 Brits have been diagnosed with the killer virus but its estimated up to 550,000 of us are infected and dont know it.
Hep C attacks the liver, increasing the chance of cirrhosis and cancer of the organ. According to Professor Graham Foster, of St Marys Hospital in London, it is killing people who are not even aware they have it until it is too late.
The World Health Organisation believe 180million people worldwide are at risk from the virus.
Hep C is widely associated with drug use and because of this many wrongly assume they are not infected.
But the virus can survive in dried blood for two weeks, so you could have come into contact with it through innocently sharing a toothbrush, razor or even a towel.
Sir Bob Geldof, who is fronting an awareness campaign launching next week, told Sun Health: One of the devastating facts about Hepatitis C is that millions dont even know they are infected.
Stigma, shame and fear suffocate awareness and prevent people from getting tested, getting treatment and clearing themselves of this disease.
Other celebrities backing the campaign include Scissor Sisters singer Paddy Boom and film star Sadie Frost.
Liana Stevens, a 27-year-old, office worker from Nottingham, knows all too well what can happen. In 2003 her mum Cynthia Wilson died of liver failure at the age of 47 after a 15-year battle with Hep C.
After a ceremony to scatter her ashes, Lianas brother Gabriel asked whether shed been tested for the virus.
She says: Its not hereditary, so it hadnt occurred to me that I could have it. Liana went to her GP for a test but was so sure she did not have it that she never bothered to go back for the results. She didnt see her doctor again until a home test showed she was pregnant. She says: I found out I was infected with Hep C the same day I found out I was pregnant.
I went to the doctor to have the pregnancy confirmed but before I could say anything, he told me my Hep C test had come back and it was positive.
I didnt really take it in. I was in a daze for days.
It was only as the news began to sink in and Liana learnt more about the virus that she realised her unborn baby was also at risk. Tests couldnt be carried out until after the birth and, because Liana seemed in good shape, her doctor had no concerns about delaying her own treatment until after the birth.
But during the pregnancy Liana developed a liver complication called cholestasis, which proved to be a warning of worse to come.
She says: Anyone can get it but there is a higher risk if you have liver damage.
A biopsy after Finley was born confirmed Liana had cirrhosis an irreversible build-up of scarring on the liver. Cirrhosis takes many years to develop, suggesting Liana was infected with Hepatitis C when she was in her mothers womb. Liana says: The doctors told me that I had to start treatment within weeks.
Luckily both Finley, two this weekend and husband Philip are clear of the killer virus.
Liana has a particularly nasty form of hepatitis C and, like 50 per cent of patients, has not responded to treatment. Her best hope is to stay as healthy as possible but she knows she may need a transplant one day.
I cant control it, so theres no point worrying about it. I try to make right now as enjoyable as I can.
For more information, call the Hepatitis C Trust helpline on 0870 200 1 200 or log on to www.hepctrust.org.uk
FACT FILE
INCIDENCE: 70,000 Britons have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, but experts believe as many as 330,000 are infected.
SYMPTOMS: Tiredness, feeling as if in a fog, nausea, poor concentration, pain around liver. These may go unnoticed until the liver has been irreparably damaged.
RISK FACTORS: A blood transfusion before 1991; medical treatment abroad; a tattoo or piercing; unprotected sex with infected person; sharing a razor or toothbrush with someone with the virus; exposure in the womb; sharing a straw to snort cocaine; sharing injecting equipment.
HOPE: One in four people shake off the virus naturally but if not treated, one in five will get cirrhosis of the liver. If the liver fails a transplant is the only hope, but there is a shortage of donor organs.
The Sun 21 September 2006
