| Hepatitis C Infection
Q1 : I was diagnosed lately to have hepatitis C infection. Is there a treatment for such an infection?
Answer 1:
The good news is that currently, there is effective treatment for Hepatitis C, in the form of a combination of long acting (pegylated) interferon and ribavirin.
Hepatitis C infection is variable from one patient to another depending on the strength of the virus and the immunity of the infected person. Also, the earlier the person gets treated the better is the outcome.
After doing some blood work, a decision is made about treatment.
The treatment dosing and treatment duration are tailored to the patient, based on his lab results . |
| Blood in stool
Q2 : I am 51-year-old woman, I have noticed some blood mixed with stool in the last 2 months. Is this something dangerous? What do you recommend I should do?
Answer 2: Blood in stool can be due to different causes. The usual sources are the colon, rectum and anal canal. It can be due to hemorrhoids, colonic polyps, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, like Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, diverticulosis, superficial vessels in the colonic wall, and many other reasons.
Therefore the best way to sort out the cause is to undergo an endoscopic exam of the colon called "Colonoscopy".
This exam needs colonic preparation with laxatives the day before the exam, and is typically done while you are sedated. The test not only diagnoses the source of blood loss, but it can also treat certain conditions. For example, if a polyp is found, it can be cauterized and removed endoscopically, without the need for surgery. This prevents progression of the polyp to cancer. Therefore it can save your life . |
