Check Hepatitis C and HIV Urgent for dangerous viruses

Infected, unknowingly: Get tested for hepatitis C and HIV
Health experts recommend people who are suspected of having been infected with hepatitis C or HIV with a test for certainty. Therapies can only be successful if illnesses are detected early.

If in doubt, test for dangerous viruses
According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), around 14,000 Germans are unknowingly infected with HIV. In addition, up to one million Germans are infected with hepatitis viruses. Very few of them know about it and often notice the infection late. Many people who carry the dangerous viruses can not be tested, partly because they are afraid of the consequences or of how the environment might react. However, it would be extremely important to detect such a virus early. Prof. Dr. med. med. Hartwig Klinker in a message from the news agency dpa pointed. The physician is President of the Congress for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine 2016 in Würzburg.

Many people in Germany are infected with hepatitis C or HI viruses without knowing it. Experts advise to be tested in case of doubt. Only if diagnosed early can therapies be successful. (Image: Guido Grochowski / fotolia.com)

Consequential damage due to undetected infections
According to the expert, HIV patients with appropriate treatment have nearly the same life expectancy as people without the virus. And hepatitis C can almost always be cured. If infections remain undetected, consequential damage such as liver cirrhosis or liver cancer is imminent. The problem here is that people who are not part of the risk group often do not think about being tested. But even people who had previously sporadically unprotected sex, for example, should be tested. Meanwhile, a new HIV test is available, which can provide a faster diagnosis.

Certain symptoms should make you skeptical
In some cases, abnormalities such as changes in the blood count or protein shifts also indicate an HIV infection. In addition, symptoms such as weight loss, fever episodes and prolonged night sweats should be skeptical. Experts from the German AIDS Aid have warned in the past that even many doctors would not recommend HIV testing to patients - especially women - despite clear symptoms. This will lead to more late diagnosis. Some patients already suffered from the diagnosis of AIDS. The infection is far more difficult to treat at this stage than shortly after infection. (Ad)