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Vietnam Veterans and Hepatitis-C
A Silent Killer, GET
TESTED!
Hepatitis C is known as the Dragon because-like the dragon
it sleeps quiet and long then wakes up with a vengeance.
The red on the ribbon stands for a blood disease,
the yellow for a liver disease.
The information on this page is intended to assist you
in determining if you may have Hepatitis-C and
what to do about it if you do. For More Information On Hepatitis C Visit Our Web Rings Section
 Symptoms
Most people who are infected with the HCV do not have symptoms and are leading normal lives. If symptoms are present, they may be very mild and flu-like: nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, headaches, and abdominal pain. Most people do not have jaundice; however, it can sometimes occur along with dark urine. The incubation period varies from 2-26 weeks but may take 10 - 30 years to develop symptoms. The virus is in the blood and may be causing liver cell damage, and the infected person can transmit the disease to others. 15% of infected people clear the disease without treatment. The remaining 85% will have Hepatitis-C for life. An estimated 20% of the 85% will go on to develop cirrhosis, liver cancer and end stage liver disease. Transmission
Blood transfusions are one of the most common routes of hepatitis C transmission. However, because the virus is passed through blood to blood contact, there are a hundred ways veterans could have gotten this disease in Vietnam. Scrapes, cuts and combat provided plenty of opportunities for blood to blood contact.
It’s possible the virus could have been passed during routine military vaccinations, especially the air guns. Who’s to say they didn’t reuse needles. Or maybe it was [spread by] sharing tooth brushes [and razors]. For anyone with hepatitis C, there is a lot of uncertainty about how, when and where it was contracted. Hepatitis C is NOT spread by:
Treatment
Treatment is available through the Department of Veteran Affairs. However, you must first prove that your Hep-C was caused by military service. See the next section down for information on this process. There is NO CURE AT THIS TIME, but more options in the way of treatment of Hepatitis C are coming out all the time. Interferon and Ribavarin are the only options that have been approved by the FDA at this time, and the results are disappointing in most patients. Many doctors say they have achieved an 80% success rate, but when prodded to give sustained response rates, their numbers go down. I must say that many of the people in my support group have been sustained responders to the Combo and are doing great at the 1 and even 2 year
marks! Genotype is a very important factor in response to treatment.
Studies have found that genotype 2 and 3 respond very well to Rebetron treatment in a 6 month time frame. Genotype 1 seems to take longer, when it does respond, and treatment should be a full year regime. Two new versions of Interferon, one called PegIntron and put out by Schering-Plough was approved for use by the FDA on January 22, 2001. Pegasys by Roche Labs, is still waiting for FDA approval and may not be approved until the end of 2001. These new versions of interferon has a time release added to it. You will only be taking 1 shot a week. Although the meds don't always eradicate the virus, it has been proven that they DO help improve liver histology. Fibrosis IS reversible. For this reason alone, people should seriously consider treatment as a way of slowing progression to end stage liver disease. Other newer treatment options are on the horizon and many of them look promising.
The HALT-C study being sponsored by the NIH will be looking at the long-term maintenance of Pegasys for those with fibrosis. This study is a 4 year study and is being conducted at 10 sites around the country. The results will be very interesting to see. Interleukin 10 is being studied as an anti-fibrotic and is in the initial phases of trials now. According to the doctors at the Digestive Disease Week 2000, held in San Diego in May 2000, they are considering triple combinations and anti-fibrotic treatments, in concurrence with interferon. It is not looking hopeless in the way of treatments and this disease CAN be managed! Many herbs are known to be dangerous, even TOXIC to the liver. Studies must be done to find out what, if any, herbs will truly help and not harm the liver. Vitamin E is very good for the liver and Vitamin A is toxic. You really need to watch what you take and be well informed about it. At this time, no other form of treatment, including Liverite, have been proven to do anything to eradicate the virus or reverse liver damage.
Filing a claim with the Department of Veteran Affairs
The DVA recently launched a $250 million program to screen and treat veterans.
The program was prompted in part by studies showing that hepatitis C may be more common among Vietnam veterans. Veterans can get tested for the disease at any of the 172 VA hospitals, but treatment is not mandatory.
Guidelines released by VA indicate that treatment will be provided to suitable candidates, but not all suitable candidates are getting treatment, according to Audrey W. Spolarich of Health Policy Analysis, Washington, D.C., a private group founded in 1997.
“We don’t know why various VA medical centers are not treating veterans who are positive for hepatitis C and are good candidates for treatment,” Spolarich said. “But we know it’s going on because we are getting reports from veterans saying they are not being treated.”
VA, however, has established two hepatitis C centers at its Miami and San Francisco hospitals.
One problem is that the VA is not responsible to treat veterans if they cannot prove their hepatitis C infection was contracted during service, according to John McNeill, assistant director of benefits policy at VFW’s National Veterans Service.
Veterans must be service-connected to get treatment, and getting service- connection can be difficult, he said.
“A veteran would have to get an exam and ask his doctor to write a medical opinion stating that the virus was contracted during service,” McNeill said. “Some doctors won’t give [such an] opinion because they can’t prove it.” In such a case, the veteran would be responsible for coming up with “mountains of evidence” to prove the connection, he added.
A solution to the service-connection problem may be found in legislation recently introduced by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Representative Vic Synder (D-Ark.). Under the legislation, veterans would be eligible for treatment at VA facilities if they received a blood transfusion during a period of service before Dec. 31, 1992; were exposed to blood during a period of service; underwent hemo-dyalisis; were diagnosed with unexplained liver disease; worked in a health care occupation, or have an unexplained liver dysfunction value or test.
VFW is urging veterans to get tested for hepatitis C now. “All veterans, especially Vietnam veterans, should get tested,” McNeill said. “If they test positive for hepatitis C they need to contact a VFW service officer and get a claim going.”
Hepatitis C is just one more battle to be fought. And treatment is worth fighting for! Get information about
how to file a claim for Hepatitis-C
Click Here
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