Hepatitis C (HCV) is a medical condition in which the patient’s liver is inflamed. In some cases, HCV can lead to cirrhosis (replacement of liver tissue with scar tissue) of the liver. Hepatitis C is usually spread via organ transplants, transfusions, intravenous drug use, or poorly sterilized medical equipment.
HCV was only proven to be a different condition from hepatitis A and hepatitis B in 1989. HCV only infects humans and chimpanzees.
Chronic infection occurs in about 80% of HCV patients. A chronic infection is characterized by the presence of viral replication for more than six months. Most patients with chronic HCV infection exhibit few symptoms, if any, during the first few decades after their initial infection. Early symptoms may include fatigue or mild cognitive problems. After several years of an individual being infected, hepatitis C may lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Some other symptoms may include:
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- Joint pain
- Belly pain
- Itchy skin
- Sore muscles
- Dark urine
- Jaundice
Traditionally, the typical treatment for hepatitis C has been interferon injections. Unfortunately, though, these injections tend to cause flu-like side effects. New drugs are being introduced to replace interferon treatment, and if a patient’s HCV symptoms are not severe, his doctor may recommend waiting for the new drugs to be released rather than enduring interferon treatment.
Patients with hepatitis C are typically advised to avoid alcohol and any type of medication or drug that is harmful to the liver.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a listing for chronic liver disease in its Listing of Impairments at Section 5.05. Simply being diagnosed with hepatitis C is not enough on its own to meet the criteria to receive Social Security disability benefits.
Your medical records must also show that you have complications such as hepatorenal or hepatopulmonary syndrome, internal bleeding, or fluid in the peritoneal or pleural cavity.
Even if you do not have complications from your hepatitis C diagnosis, you may still be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. If the symptoms of your condition affect your ability to work a normal eight hour day, five days a week, you might be disabled under Social Security’s rules.
For more information about how your “residual functional capacity” affects your eligibility for disability benefits, click here.
