Medical News Summary: People who received blood transfusions prior to 1975 may have been infected with Hepatitis C
About: People who received blood transfusions prior to 1975 may have been infected with Hepatitis C
Date: 20 December 2004
Source: News Scotsman
Author: Julia Horton
Medical News Summary (summary of medical news story as reported by News Scotsman): A woman discovered that she had contracted Hepatitis C when she went to donate blood. She had contracted the disease after being given a contaminated blood transfusion in 1987. She was immediately given medication (injections three times a week and tablets) to prevent the virus developing into such things as cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure or liver cancer. The treatment caused extreme tiredness. Many other people who also became infected through transfusions were awarded compensation payout by the government of 20-45,000 pounds. Hepatitis C infections may be present for decades without symptoms and thus, the condition may be unknowingly spread to other people. An estimated 35,000 Scottish people aren’t diagnosed and have no idea they have the condition. The disease can be spread by direct blood-to-blood contact with an infected person, through IV drug use by addicts or through unprotected sex. Blood screening was not embraced until 1991 so anyone who received a blood transfusion prior to that may have been infected and should be tested.
URL: http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1451082004
Related Disease Topics: Hepatitis C, Contaminated blood transfusion, Blood transfusion, Virus, Cirrhosis of the liver, Liver failure, Liver cancer, Tiredness, Drug addiction
Related Medical News Channels: This medical news summary article refers to the following medical channel categories:
- Sexually transmitted disease
- Infection
- Diagnosis and sexually transmitted disease
- Diagnosis and infection
- Diagnosis and Hepatitis C
- Diagnosis and contaminated blood transfusion
- Diagnosis and blood transfusion
- Diagnosis and virus
- Diagnosis and cirrhosis of the liver
- Diagnosis and liver failure
- Diagnosis and liver cancer
- Diagnosis and tiredness
- Drug addiction
- Risk and sexually transmitted disease
- Risk and infection
- risk and Hepatitis C
- Risk and contaminated blood transfusion
- Risk and blood transfusion
- risk and virus
- Risk and cirrhosis of the liver
- risk and liver failure
- risk and liver cancer
- Cause of sexually transmitted disease
- cause of infection
- cause of Hepatitis C
- cause of virus
- cause of cirrhosis of the liver
- cause of liver failure
- cause of liver cancer
- Undiagnosed
- Undiagnosed and sexually transmitted disease
- Undiagnosed and infection
- Undiagnosed and Hepatitis C
- Undiagnosed and contaminated blood transfusion
- Undiagnosed and blood transfusion
- Undiagnosed and virus
- Undiagnosed and cirrhosis of the liver
- Undiagnosed and liver failure
- Undiagnosed and liver cancer
- Medical error
- Medical error and Hepatitis C
- Medical error and contaminated blood transfusion
- Medical error and blood transfusion
- Medical error and virus
- Medical error and cirrhosis of the liver
- Medical error and liver failure
- Medical error and liver cancer
- Medical error and tiredness
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