Hep C Testing in Hollywood Florida
Free HEP C Testing, Treatment & Prevention Services
Hep C Care
Hep C Testing in Hollywood, Florida
According to the World Health Organization, 50 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C, with a million new cases reported annually. Hepatitis C is a viral infection in the body that causes liver inflammation. The infection spreads via direct contact with blood infected with the virus. Healthcare professionals are at a high risk of exposure while providing medical services, and intravenous substance users who share needles risk exposure.
Many people don’t experience symptoms of a hepatitis C infection for years, and for some, the prolonged diagnosis gives the virus time to cause severe liver damage. As a part of a comprehensive preventive care program, hepatitis C screening is available. An early diagnosis could lead to faster treatment and possibly a cure. LifeLine Health provides hepatitis C screening options and treatments for all stages of this serious liver disease.
Important Facts About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is classified as either acute or chronic, and the duration of the disease determines which one you have. The acute phase lasts up to six months; after that, it’s chronic. Acute hepatitis C rarely causes symptoms, and chronic hepatitis C usually has no symptoms for many years. As chronic hepatitis C progresses, it could become life-threatening. Up to 25% of people with chronic hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis in 10 to 20 years.
Direct-acting antiviral medications have cured as many as 95% of cases. However, earlier detection can improve your prognosis. LifeLine Health Florida offers hepatitis C screenings and accepts most major medical plans.
How Can You Get Hepatitis C?
Unscreened blood transfusions, contaminated medical supplies or equipment, or unsterile medical settings are a few of the probable causes for exposure to hepatitis C. Using needles or syringes contaminated with infected blood and unsafe sexual practices where exposure to blood is possible can also lead to infection.
Mothers with hepatitis C could pass the infection onto their infants if they are exposed to the mother’s blood during birth. However, effective treatment, monitoring, and precautions during delivery can reduce these risks. There aren’t any studies that show breastfeeding could put your baby at risk of developing the disease.
Symptoms of Hepatitis C
The first symptoms you may experience are fever, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, and jaundice. You may bruise or bleed easily, notice a loss of appetite, dark-colored urine, itchy skin, and weight loss. Edema and spider veins may develop, and you could feel drowsy or experience slurred speech. Jaundice, yellowing of the skin, could appear in the whites of your eyes. A more severe case of jaundice could indicate additional liver diseases, such as cirrhosis, cancer, or liver failure. Even if you aren’t exhibiting symptoms, early screening could determine if you have acute or chronic hepatitis C and help you get treatment faster.
Who Is at the Greatest Risk?
Health Science Reports noted that national surveillance in 2021 showed that 57% of new hepatitis C cases with reported risk information involved injection drug users. Other groups are also at high risk of developing hepatitis C, including:
- Hemophiliacs treated with clotting factors before 1987
- People who underwent long-term hemodialysis
- Blood or organ transplant recipients who were treated before 1992
- Individuals whose sexual partners were diagnosed with hepatitis C
- People who are HIV positive
- Emergency healthcare workers who were exposed to blood or punctured with a medical needle
- Sexually active individuals who have just started or are about to begin pre-exposure prophylaxis medications.
- Prison inmates or at-risk staff.
Screening for Hepatitis C
Lifeline Health provides hepatitis C screenings even if you aren’t exhibiting symptoms. They start with an anti-HCV blood test to determine if there are any antibodies in your blood. If the test is positive, they complete a polymerase chain reaction test or PCR.
This test confirms the diagnosis. Additional tests could measure the viral load or quantity of the virus and determine the genotype of the virus. Blood tests could also determine the amount of liver scarring caused by the virus.
Once you are diagnosed, LifeLine Health can complete tests to determine if you have liver damage. These tests could include a magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) test, transient elastography, or a liver biopsy. The MRE can show any liver stiffening or fibrosis and allow medical professionals to map out areas where you have liver scarring. Transient elastography also tests for fibrosis and determines the speed at which vibrations travel through your liver tissue.
A liver biopsy involves removing a sample of liver tissue to test for advanced liver diseases. If you’ve been diagnosed with hepatitis C, you face a risk of complications, including cirrhosis (liver scarring), liver cancer, and liver failure.
LifeLine Health’s Treatment Objective
The primary objective for LifeLine Health when treating hepatitis C is clearing the virus from the body. New medical innovations have presented more effective and lasting treatments for chronic hepatitis C.
When approaching a client’s case, LifeLine Health creates a care plan to eliminate the hepatitis C virus from the body and achieve clear blood tests for no less than 12 weeks. If the virus isn’t detected in the blood within 12 weeks, the treatment has proven effective and has improved the client’s health.
Care plans are based on the severity of the case, the client’s family medical history, and if they have existing liver damage. The medical professionals present the appropriate treatment for each client to treat the virus and optimize the client’s health.
LifeLine Health staff will evaluate HCV genotype, viral load, liver health, previous treatment histories, and all medication the client takes. Co-existing health conditions, such as pregnancy, are also a consideration when creating a care plan.
There are several treatments and therapies for treating hepatitis C. These treatments are direct-acting antivirals, interferon-based therapy, liver transplants, and homeopathic options for better health.
Direct-Acting Antivirals
Direct-acting antivirals are produced to strategically target proteins found within the hepatitis C virus replication cycle. If the virus cannot replicate and spread throughout the bloodstream, it can be treated effectively and eliminated. LifeLine Health professionals evaluate their clients according to any HCV treatments they have received previously, the specific virus genotype, and the person’s liver function.
These treatments last eight to 12 weeks for most clients. However, each week they must have clear blood results showing the treatment is working. These antivirals have fewer side effects and have cured up to 90% of individuals infected with the virus, achieving sustained virological response, meaning the virus can’t be detected in your blood.
The medical professionals providing treatment at LifeLine Health will recommend vaccinations for hepatitis A and B before treatment starts as a safeguard. Clients should also start a healthy diet and exercise plan to enhance their health and combat the fatigue caused by hepatitis C.
Clients should discuss any medications or supplements they take regularly with their LifeLine Health professionals to prevent adverse interactions. They should also avoid alcohol consumption, especially during their treatment, as it can damage the liver.
A medical professional will assess your liver every three to six months for changes or signs of complications. You should also get tested for HIV and hepatitis B while taking direct-acting antivirals. Examples of direct-acting antivirals are Sovaldi, Harvoni, and Epclusa.
You should contact LifeLine Health if you experience extreme dizziness or fatigue, shortness of breath, vision changes, chest discomfort, edema, diarrhea, bloody stools, or a fever lasting longer than two days.
Interferon-Based Therapy
Interferon-based therapy is the traditional treatment for chronic cases of HCV. This therapy involves a combination of ribavirin and pegylated interferon, which have effectively treated the viral infection. Medical professionals prescribe the treatment for clients with HCV genotype 2 and 3.
About 80% of clients with HCV genotypes 2 and 3 achieved SVR. However, interferon-based therapy may not provide SVR for all clients with the HCV genotype 1 or 4. A LifeLine Health professional can evaluate your HCV stage when determining if Interferon-based therapy is right for you.
The most common side effects of interferon-based therapy are diarrhea, weight loss, and anorexia. If you experience severe side effects, you should discuss them with your LifeLine Health professional immediately.
Lifestyle Changes for Improved Health
If you suffer from alcohol use disorder, consider entering a rehab program to help you stop drinking. Stopping alcohol use can improve liver function and lessen the effects of hepatitis C.
A LifeLine medical professional can provide liver assessments and HVC screenings to determine if you are infected and evaluate your liver function. They may also provide you with resources for starting rehab.
Your LifeLine Health professional can recommend a diet and exercise plan to improve your health. They may recommend foods and beverages that flush toxins from the body and improve liver function. Exercising can also play a role in enhancing your health and well-being. Provide your health professional with all information about supplements, medications, and dietary aids you take regularly.
Live Transplants and What You Should Know
For the most severe cases, medical professionals may recommend a liver transplant. However, understand that even if you receive one, it will not cure hepatitis C. Doctors may recommend a transplant if you have lost significant liver function or have severe scarring. Eliminating the hepatitis C virus from your body before you undergo a liver transplant could improve your prognosis.
LifeLine Health can provide monitoring and treatment for hepatitis C to determine if a liver transplant is necessary. Remember that if you still have hepatitis C when receiving a liver transplant, you will need further treatment for the viral infection. Proper and ongoing treatment for hepatitis C can lower the risk of new liver damage and other risks, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes significant damage to the liver and increases your risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. You can develop this infection through exposure to infected blood through medical procedures, providing emergency medical services, unsafe sexual practices where blood exposure is possible, and intravenous substance use.
LifeLine Health provides screening, testing, and treatment for hepatitis C, and our medical staff can provide ongoing monitoring and assessments. Your medical professional at LifeLine Health can offer effective treatments for Hepatitis C based on genotype, disease stage, and your current health.
Hepatitis C doesn’t present immediate symptoms, and many people do not know they have it until the later stages of the viral infection. If you believe you have been exposed to hepatitis C, call LifeLine Health so that we can provide an HVC screening for you.
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Most Asked
Is HIV treatable?
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is primarily transmitted through certain bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are through:
Unprotected sexual contact: HIV can be transmitted through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
Sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs: HIV can be transmitted when needles or other equipment that has been used by an HIV-positive person is reused by someone else.
From mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding: HIV can be transmitted from a mother living with HIV to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
Blood transfusion or organ transplant: HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusions or organ transplants with infected blood or organs.
It’s important to note that HIV is not transmitted through everyday activities like hugging, shaking hands, or sharing utensils.
It’s also worth mentioning that, although the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex is lower than that of other sexual behaviors, it is still possible to transmit the virus by this way.
I am pregnant and HIV positive. Will my child be born with HIV?
If you are pregnant and living with HIV, it’s important to seek medical care right away. With appropriate medical care and treatment, the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV can be significantly reduced. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the most effective method for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. ART can suppress the virus in the mother’s body, lowering the risk of the virus being passed on to the baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding. If you’re pregnant and HIV-positive, you’ll be closely monitored by a team of healthcare professionals, including an obstetrician, an HIV specialist and a pediatrician. They will work together to ensure the best possible care for you and your baby. They may advise you to start the ART treatment or adjust the current regimen during pregnancy. This is necessary to achieve an undetectable viral load, which is critical in minimizing the chance of mother-to-child transmission. It’s also important to know that there is a small chance that your child may still become infected despite all the preventative measures. Therefore it’s important to test the baby for HIV shortly after birth and continue monitoring the baby’s HIV status after delivery. It’s worth noting that mother-to-child transmission of HIV is rare in developed countries due to improved treatment and awareness, as long as the mother is diagnosed and treated early.
Listen To What Our Patients Say…
Cristina Anderson
I am thankful to the nice people at Lifeline Health. I was so scared when I found out I had been exposed. They guided me and made me feel so at ease. I have not had an issues and I know it’s because I went to Lifeline Health first.
Juan Bustamonte
