Download the Liver - Community Response

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Community Response
presents
Supported by an unrestricted educational grant
from Roche Products (Ireland) Limited
the
Liver
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Community Response is a voluntary
agency based in the South Inner City,
Community Response was established in
1990 to work with individuals, families
and local communities to develop their
own response to problem drug misuse,
HIV and hepatitis C.
We have a clear commitment to
resourcing of local people and
development and see as central and
invaluable the local contribution to
devising lasting solutions to drug
problem.
So how do you know if
you have hepatitis C ?
Well, unlike some forms of
hepatitis, hep c is often
free of symptoms. in fact
about 95% of people who
have it do not even know
they have been infected.
flu-like
symptoms
vomiting
fever
jaundice
(recognised by a
yellowing of the
whites of eyes)
if you are worried
that you may have
contracted hep c you
can visit your local
doctor or hospital
for a blood test.
Testing positive
to the virus, can
either mean:
you may have chronic infection
which means your infection may be
on-going, causing long term low
grade inflammation in your liver
We have a good track record in the area
of drug awareness and training for
project workers, family support work,
Hepatitis C, community development and
our ongoing input into local drug
services.
This comic was produced as an education
tool to raise awareness around Hep C
and the body. The comic will be available
online as a stop motion cartoon on
www.hepinfo.ie
Community Response would like to thank
Roche for their support in producing
the comic.
Community Response
Carman's Court
14 Carman's Hall (off Francis St)
Dublin 8
Tel: 01 4549772
www.hepinfo.ie
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some people may experience
anything from:
you may have had hep c at some time in
the past and successfully fought
off the virus but still test positive
There are a number of ways you can
help yourself to cope with hepatitis C.
Stop drinking alcohol
completely or limit your
intake, the more you drink
the more likely your are
to develop cirrhosis
which is a scarring of the
liver caused by the virus
and prevent blood
flowing freely through
he liver
follow a
healthy diet..
be aware of how your
disease is transmitted.
(if you do develop cirrhosis
your doctor may suggest a
low salt diet to help
reduce fluid retention)
hep c is transmitted with
blood, so you cannot
infect your family or
friends through normal
activities, such as kissing
or by sharing cutlery or
crockery.
because the damage done to
liver by cirrhosis cannot be
reversed, doctors try to
initiate treatment as soon
as possible to attempt to
prevent its development.
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Injecting Drugs
If you are injecting drugs and share any
equipment that could come into contact with
your blood, you can expose others to
infection with hepatitis C. This obviously
applies to the needle and syringe you use but
also applies to water, filters and spoons.
Hello there!
My name is
Sid the cell!
the Liver
i would like to talk yo
you about the liver!
Snorting Drugs
If you share a rolled up note or straw for snorting drugs
you risk exposing yourself and others to hepatitis C.
This is especially true if your nose is bleeding.
Transfusion
of blood and
blood
products can
spread hep c.
the liver is the second largest
organ in your body
(the skin is considered an organ
making it the largest it consists of
96% water)
Sharing personal items such as
toothbrushes and razor blades
where transfer of blood
occurs are low risk ways to
become infected, as are unsafe
tatooing or body piercing when
equipment is not sterile.
the liver is found on the upper
right hand side of the abdomen
(belly) under the right lung &
protected by the rib cage. Unlike
the kidneys or lungs , you have
only one liver. It is vital that you
look after it. You can survive with
only one kidney or even one lung
but not without your liver!
Not practising
safe sex is a
possible risk for
hep c.
Hep C can also be passed on from
mother to baby. Once again this is
thought to be a relatively low risk
(1 in 20) but a risk nonetheless. The
chances of a baby becoming infected
are higher if the mother has both hep
c and hiv. Passing on hep c to your
baby by breast feeding is not thought
to be a risk.
So what
does
the liver
do?
You cannot get hep c from:
The liver performs 500
different functions!
in fact, it’s so important
that we cannot live
without our liver!
Let’s take a look
at the main things
the liver does...
The liver stores energy in the
form of glucose. This acts as
a rapid source of energy, it
also helps to keep blood
sugar at the right levels.
..hugging & kissing
Your liver takes out toxins in
your blood. These may have
been made by your body when
breaking down proteins, or
may have been brought into
your body through breathing
or ingesting something like
alcohol, drugs or other
harmful substances.
Your liver sorts things out
and changes them
chemically into what the
body can use and turns what
can’t be used into something
that dissolves in blood so
that it can be carried to the
kidneys.
..Holding hands
..sharing toilets
..sharing crockery & cutlery
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Waste Toxins
NEVER FEAR! I’LL KEEP
YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL
UNDER CONTROL!
Liver
Management
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if the liver is
badly damaged..
Hepatitis means inflammation
of the liver. It can be caused
by alcohol, certain chemicals,
drugs and viral infections...
Hepatitis c is a viral infection of the liver. A virus is a tiny organism that may
cause disease, infection or inflamation if it enters the body.
Hepatitis c infection is not caused by
a single virus but by a family of
viruses, that can be further divided
into six different subtypes called
genotypes.
..The body cannot control
fluid balance in the
abdomen. The abdomen
(belly) and legs may swell
up..
One of these fluids in the
liver that needs to be
balanced is Billirubin
(made of the breakdown of
old red blood cells) which
is needed by the liver to
make bile (a fluid essential
for breaking down fats).
A tell tale sign that the
liver is damaged is when the
Billirubin level gets to
high resulting in persons
eyes and skin to turn
yellow (jaundice).
genotypes:
genotypes:
you got
me in bad
mood!
that’s right i’m a virus!
i’m
infectious!
i love
being a
virus!
LET’S
PARTY!
i can get
really
nasty!
Different genotypes infect different people worldwide.
..Cannot make
clotting factors so
you might bleed more
easily..
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..cannot detoxify the blood of certain
chemicals and drugs. Patients with
advanced hepatitis may be extremely
sensitive to the effects of certain
drugs and chemicals.
Hepatitis c is a
blood borne virus.
That means that it is
carried in the blood
and spread through
blood to blood
contact. In some
case’s persons with
hep c have no idea
how they became
infected. The
majority of people
however can identify
a likely way. Some
practices are more
risky than others.
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