Hepatitis C—Coma

A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness. An individual in a coma is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment. Coma may occur as a complication of an underlying illness, or as a result of injuries, such as brain injury.

A coma rarely lasts more than 2 to 4 weeks. The outcome for coma depends on the cause, severity, and site of the damage. People may come out of a coma with physical, intellectual, and psychological problems. Some people may remain in a coma for years or even decades. For those people, the most common cause of death is infection, such as pneumonia.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

• EEG (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: HCV

Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. One type, hepatitis C, is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It usually spreads through contact with infected blood. It can also spread through sex with an infected person and from mother to baby during childbirth.

Most people who are infected with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms for years. If you do get symptoms, you may feel as if you have the flu. You may also have jaundice, a yellowing of skin and eyes, dark-colored urine, and pale bowel movements. A blood test can tell if you have it. Usually, hepatitis C does not get better by itself. The infection can last a lifetime and may lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer. Medicines sometimes help, but side effects can be a problem. Serious cases may need a liver transplant.

There is no vaccine for HCV.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Hepatitis C – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Hepatitis C (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hepatitis C — children (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hepatitis virus panel (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Preventing hepatitis B or C (Medical Encyclopedia)