What hepatitis-C patients may be facing thanks to

July 10, 2009

By in Follow That Story, NewsThursday, Jul. 9 2009 @ 7:03AM

, the surgical tech who may have led to the hepatitis-C infection

of hospital patients numbering in the thousands, continues to make headlines,

and not just because her MySpace Page is filled with flashy photos and assorted

confessions about, for instance, her love of needles. At this point, plenty of

people who unknowingly entered her orbit are terrified at the prospect that

they, too, may have contracted hep-C -- and their fears are founded in some

mighty ugly medical facts.

According to the Mayo Clinic, " A small number of people infected with

hepatitis-C fight off the virus on their own without any permanent damage. " For

the rest, however, " the disease settles in and slowly attacks the liver, " with

results that can lead to a lifetime of painful treatment and, in a sizable

percentages of instances, liver transplant.

Not that such treatment constitutes a magic bullet. As the Mayo clinicians point

out: " Liver transplantation does not cure HCV. The majority of people with

hepatitis C who receive liver transplants experience a recurrence of the virus.

Those with HCV who receive liver transplants also are at accelerated risk of

developing cirrhosis within five years. Treatment with HCV-fighting medications

may help prevent a recurrence of infection or treat recurrent illness that

develops after a liver transplant. However, the effectiveness of this type of

treatment after a liver transplant is unclear. "

No telling how much harm Ms. has allegedly done at this point. But it's

likely to be vast -- and to linger for years.

Recommended Posts