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Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is spread by direct blood-to-blood contact. Although it is predicted that 1 out of every 50 Americans have the Hepatitis C virus, medical practitioners conceal the disease’s severity and send their patients away with false hope.
Hepatitis C claims the lives of up to 13,000 Americans every year. It is one of the major causes of chronic liver disease in the United States and is now the number one reason for liver transplants. There are over 17,000 people waiting for donor livers and the majority of those have Hepatitis C. Only about 4,000 donor livers are available per year in the United States.
The identification of the Hepatitis C virus in 1989 solved a growing mystery. Large numbers of Hepatitis victims had begun to appear, apparently with a virally caused disease, but when examined, these patients tested negative for both Hepatitis A and B. The unknown disease was known as non-A, non-B Hepatitis. Named Hepatitis C in 1990, it has quickly proven to present a frightening challenge. We are on a crusade to battle this epidemic, believing that the only way we can beat it is with knowledge, dedication and becoming united.
Hepatitis C is a liver disease. The liver does many things to keep you alive. It stores vitamins, iron and other minerals that the body needs; makes new proteins needed for all normal bodily functions; manufactures bile to aid in the digestion of food; rids the body of toxins, including alcohol, drugs, smoke, fumes, preservatives etc.; stores energy in the form of complex sugars; makes clotting factors to help stop the bleeding , and helps the body fight off bacterial and viral infections. We all require a healthy liver to survive
There are close to 4 million people in the U.S. that are infected with Hepatitis C, and perhaps as many as 200 million worldwide. Without rapid intervention to contain the spread of the disease, the death rate from Hepatitis C will soon surpass that from AIDS. Four times as many people have Hepatitis C than AIDS.
In contrast to other types of Hepatitis, more than 80% of Hepatitis C infections become chronic and lead to liver disease. Hepatitis C, in combination with Hepatitis B, now accounts for 75% of all cases of liver disease around the world. The HCV virus is rarely diagnosed for many years, thus becoming chronic and often causing severe liver damage before recognized, therefore it is referred to as the "Silent Epidemic" .