The hepatitis C virus (HCV) cost the US about $5.46 billion in 1997. The estimate puts the cost of HCV on par with the national costs of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, two other chronic disorders.
The hepatitis C virus causes inflammation of the liver and is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States. The virus can be spread by sex with an infected person, transfusion of infected blood or contaminated needles. HCV is the most common cause of liver transplantation in the US, the study notes.
The investigators, from the University of California at Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, believe that the cost of HCV infection justifies requests for increased funding to expand efforts directed at prevention, screening, treatment and research.
Although HCV infection is not as costly as HIV infection, which in 1992 was estimated to cost $30 billion, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that:
HCV-related mortality could triple within the next 10 to 20 years.
According to the report, HCV infection that results in chronic liver disease accounts for about 92% of the costs while infection that leads to primary liver cancer accounts for the remaining 8% of costs.
Archives of Internal Medicine October 8, 2001;161:2231-2237
It is likely that following an optimized eating plan will greatly enhance one's immune system.
The other vitally important issue that needs to be fully addressed is the previously encountered emotional stressors. It is my experience that these stresses are the primary reason why the immune system becomes impaired.
Fortunately there are some good solutions in this area now.
While I am not a huge fan of supplements they do seem to be of some benefit in hepatitis B and lipoic acid at 200 mg three times a day and selenium 200-600 mcg per day seem to be the nearly magic duo. One can also use silmaryin or other herbal products that seem to help the liver.
I first became aware of this regimen by Dr. Burt Berkson. He is an internist and during his training was given several patients who were expected to die from hepatitis.
His job was to merely baby sit them in the ICU and watch them die. He did not do that, but rather called his associate at the National Institutes of Health and used the lipoic acid and these two patients with hepatitis who were not expected to live more than a few weeks, completely recovered. Dr. Berkson has been lecturing all over the world on this topic since that time. He published a study on this last year.
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Hepatitis C Reconsidered
Hepatitis C Virus Infects At Least 2.7Million Americans
Non-Drug Approaches to Hepatitis C Ignored by "Awareness" Campaign
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)