8 September 2022
Hepatitis C lives in the liver tissue and blood and can cause severe liver scarring, serious liver damage, liver failure and potentially liver cancer. About 80% of people infected with hepatitis C develop the chronic hepatitis C infection.
Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus spread through blood-to-blood contact which can be transmitted when people share needles, or are tattooed using unsterilised equipment. It can also be spread through plastic surgery, sporting injuries, blood transfusions, needle stick injuries, sharing personal items that may have a small amount of blood on them.
The symptoms of hepatitis C typically develop after one to three months of the infection and can include:
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Occasional vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Tiredness
- Dark urine and pale stools
- Jaundice of the skin and eyes
Good News about Treatment for Hepatitis C
While there is no vaccination available to prevent hepatitis C, the good news is that patients with hepatitis C can be effectively treated with antivirals. In fact, there is a cure rate of 95%. The antivirals used to treat hepatitis C have few (if any) side effects, are taken in tablet form and only need to be taken for 8 weeks (occasionally patients may need to take them for 24 weeks).
After antiviral treatment, further liver damage is prevented, as well as a reversal of some of the damage that has already occurred. Once a person has received treatment for hepatitis C, they are no longer able to transmit the virus to another person.
Previously, treatment was a lot less effective, often with severe side effects and was administered by injections over a 6 -12-month period. It is now also no longer necessary for patients to have a liver biopsy before commencing treatment. These factors were often a barrier for patients wanting to begin treatment.
Storr Outreach Service
In Western Sydney approximately only 19% of people living with hepatitis C have initiated treatment.
In order to improve the rates of people receiving treatment for hepatitis C, it was decided to take information, diagnosis and treatment directly to the Western Sydney community. The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) conducted a risk stratification of the patients in the CMS to identify those people at risk of hepatitis C and partnered with the Westmead Institute for Medical Research’s Storr Liver Centre, a number of pharmacies, NSW Health Pathology and Hepatitis NSW to plan for a mobile hepatitis C screening service.
The Storr outreach service has already reached many community members who were missed through previous programs and who have often had negative experiences with health care. The outreach team typically go out to pharmacies, community centres and events and offer a testing service in their van. The consultation between the patient and the Storr Liver Centre is facilitated by a patient booking with their GP. Patients are booked in for a ‘liver wellness check’. Local pharmacists have also worked with this program directing people at risk to the service. As well as the screening service there is also an opportunity to provide education to help people minimise their risk of contracting hepatitis in future.
With on-the-spot testing for hepatitis C, results are received within the hour. The person can then have a full liver scan in the van and receive a prescription for treatment. GPs are asked to follow up with their patient to continue supporting them through the course of their treatment. The Storr outreach team have now commenced fortnightly visits to the Merrylands Family Practice with practice nurses recording patient notes into the clinical management system to keep GPs up to date with the patient’s results.
Resources for GPs
- Decision Making in Hepatitis C is a useful chart providing information and timelines around hepatitis testing, results and actions, pre-treatment assessment, treatment, monitoring and follow up
- Free resources from Hepatitis NSW are downloadable from their website
- Detailed information for GPs about hepatitis C screening and treatment is available on Western Sydney HealthPathways
To access HealthPathways, you will need the general login details. For more information, please contact our HealthPathways team at healthpathways@wentwest.com.auFor WSLHD and SCHN Staff, please access HealthPathways via the WSLHD/SCHN Intranet Applications page.
- There are also videos produced by Hepatitis NSW available on YouTube that GPs may wish to share with their patients: