Can be acute or chronic. 100s of millions of chronic infections worldwide estimated by the World Health Organization. 100s of thousands to several millions of deaths globally every year. Children and infants far more susceptible to develop chronic conditions.
Transmission:
Blood and other body fluids. Hepatitis viruses can also survive outside of the body for several days, making many other transmission routes possible, such as fecal and water.
Symptoms & effects:
Include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, muscle and joint pain, jaundice, lethargy, depression, irritability, pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. Long term effects are liver cirrhosis (extreme fibrosis), and potentially life threatening conditions such as liver failure. Increased risk of developing liver cancer for type B & C viruses.
Drug Treatment:
Interferons and other drugs such as ribavirin, tenofovir or entecavir, for many weeks and months. New "direct-acting" antiviral drugs: Sofosbuvir, Ledipasvir & Daclatasvir, 8 to 24 weeks.
Drug efficacy:
Reported viral clearing rates globally vary greatly, depending on which hepatitis virus (sub-type), demographics, environment and many other co-factors.
New "direct-acting" antiviral drugs—only short-term studies conducted (quoted at 95-97%), no data available if treatment is lifesaving or cures hepatitis long-term. No study showing that these drugs help lifespan or reduce rates of liver cirrhosis (extreme fibrosis) or liver cancer.
Side effects:
Multiple possible, mild to fatal.
New "direct-acting" antiviral drugs—possible (fatal) hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation if past or current HBV infection. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 'black box' warning (highest category warning)—confirmed reports of deaths, liver failure, serious slowing of heart rate (symptomatic bradycardia) cardiac arrest, need for pacemaker, need for liver transplant. Other symptoms include near-fainting or fainting, dizziness, light-headedness, malaise, depression, difficulty sleeping, confusion, memory problems, headache, excessive tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, low red blood cell count, nausea, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, fever, chills, muscle ache, rash, itching.
Sources: FDA (USA), MedScape, WebMD, Health Victoria (Australia).
SIS MACHINE TREATMENT
Which SIS machine model:
M250
Recommended setting:
7.5μA
Typical treatment time:
4-8 weeks for hepatitis B, 4-12+ weeks for hepatitis C, with (near) 24/7 application. Treatment outcome can be assessed by improvement of clinical symptoms, and/or liver enzyme "function" test, and/or sequential viral RNA pathology tests, with appropriate interpretation.
