Thursday, March 23, 2017

Chronic Hepatitis C And Functional Dyspepsia (FD) - A Feeling Of Discomfort In The Upper Abdomen

Functional Dyspepsia (FD)
Given the fact that liver pain, abdomen complaints and fatigue are all common symptoms for people living with hepatitis C, even in those who have undergone successful HCV treatment, you may wonder if there are conditions associated with the virus that share these symptoms.

Gallbladder disease and fatty liver disease both cause pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, sometimes under the ribs. Studies have shown that people with chronic liver disease, especially those with cirrhosis have a greater tendency to develop gallstones, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a well known feature of chronic hepatitis C. The more severe form of NAFLD, called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) - tends to develop in people who have certain risk factors, such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance, both can accompany HCV.

However, pain in the liver area can be caused by many different conditions, some of which are serious, it is important for you to contact your health care provider to address the underlying cause, especially for people that suffer with both HCV and cirrhosis, learn more here.

Another somewhat familiar disorder called Functional Dyspepsia (FD), can cause discomfort in the upper abdomen as well and may be associated with chronic hepatitis C, according to a research article published in BMC Gastroenterology.

The prevalence of functional dyspepsia using Rome III questionnaire among chronic hepatitis C patients
The review article included 252 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 150 healthy volunteers, the prevalence of functional dyspepsia (FD) among patients with hepatitis C was evaluated using recorded clinical and laboratory data, all patients and controls were administered a questionnaire of FD according to Rome III criteria.

In short, the study found the percentage of hepatitis C patients with Functional Dyspepsia (FD) was significantly higher than in people without the hepatitis C virus. In addition, obese, chronic HCV patients and those with higher fibrosis scores are more likely to suffer with the condition. 
Read the full text article, here.

Functional Dyspepsia
The medical term, dyspepsia simply means bad digestion, the symptoms vary, but are frequently described as a full or bloated feeling felt in the upper belly during a meal or around 30 minutes later.

The term functional dyspepsia (FD) is used to describe chronic and persistent upper abdominal pain for which there is no clearly identifiable cause such as peptic ulcer disease. Because peptic ulcer disease produces similar symptoms, functional dyspepsia is sometimes called non-ulcer dyspepsia.

To learn more about this condition listen to Dr. Brian E. Lacy discuss FD in the following patient friendly podcast, available in the patient resource section of the American Journal of Gastroenterology (AGA) website.

Highlights
What is Dyspepsia?
What is the difference between Dyspepsia and Functional Dyspepsia?
20% of the U.S. population suffers with Dyspepsia sometime throughout the year.
What causes Dyspepsia?
What are the classic symptoms of Dyspepsia?
Dyspeptic symptoms may develop due to an organic process peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, occult acid reflux.
Could the symptoms be caused by underlying disease; liver problems?
Is there anything a patient could do to help Dyspepsia?
Treatment options
When to seek medical advice.

Listen here....

All Programs - American Journal of Gastroenterology (AGA)

Recommended Reading
Functional Dyspepsia Overview

Extrahepatic Manifestations
Recently published in Journal of Advanced Research is a nice collection of review articles on the extrahepatic manifestations of HCV.
Volume 8, Issue 2, March 2017, Pages 85–87

Until next time.
Tina

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