Baby Boomer Guide for Hepatitis C
If you are a baby boomer, you might pay attention to your weight and visit the gym regularly to stay fit. However, there may be important health problems that you ignore. The risk of your contract to hepatitis C is five times higher than the general population if you are born between 1946 and 1965.
In fact, it is estimated that 80% of patients with this illness belong to the Baby Boomer generation. However, only 13% of these groups have been tested in 2015.
Hepatitis C can have serious complications, including liver cancer and cirrhosis, but can be managed.
Find out if you are at risk and what you can do.
Understanding hepatitis C:
1. Forget Stigma. Public health experts now know that higher infection rates for boomers are caused by medical procedures rather than risky behavior associated with drugs or gender. The main cause is the reuse of metal and glass syringes before disposable syringes become common around 1950.
2. Understand other causes. Every blood product exchange can spread hepatitis C. which can include tattoos, piercings, and manicure, and share needles. Unprotected sex is also considered low risk.
3. Look for symptoms. You may not realize that you have hepatitis C because there are often no symptoms. The signs you can look for are abdominal pain, fatigue, and jaundice, which makes your eyes and skin look yellow.
4. Still hope. The prognosis for hepatitis C has been far away. The treatment used to have a 6% healing rate and requires 3 injections a week for almost a year. At present, the drug rate is close to 90%, and you usually only need to take everyday pills for about 3 months.
Diagnosis and treat hepatitis C:
1. Schedule filtering. Disease control centers recommend that all men and women from the Baby Boomer generation are tested for Hepatitis C. This is a simple blood test, and it is covered by most insurance plans.
2. Protect your privacy. If you prefer to miss a doctor’s visit for any reason, there is another place to go. Many pharmacies and even some retailers such as targets have a laboratory and clinic that performs playback.
3. Discuss care. If you find that you have this illness, your doctor can explain your options. There are no vaccines, but there are some drug care once a day available for patients who do not have cirrhosis.
Live with hepatitis C:
1. Looking for support. It’s easier to deal with any chronic disease when you can rely on your family and friends for encouragement and assistance. Be prepared to talk to them about facts. Let them know that the risk of transmission is very low, but they might want to be tested if they have a problem.
2. Change your diet. Healthy eating can give you more energy and strength. In addition to consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables, limiting saturated fat can relieve your heartache. It is also important to avoid the amount of iron that is excessive because your body will be less effective for releasing it.
3. Avoid alcohol. Because hepatitis C is a heart infection, safer to avoid alcohol. Even drinking is giving rise to the risk of cirrhosis.
4. Think positively. Your mindset plays a big role in your physical health, including life with hepatitis C. Talk to your doctor about any problems, including sleep problems. You might also want to find a support group where you can talk about your experience.
Tested for simple hepatitis C and can save your life. Even if the results are positive, fast and the right treatment gives you a very good opportunity to be cured or manage the symptoms.
