I wanted to share an e-mail I recieved recently from Valerie Cardaci regarding Hepatitis C, Baby Boomers and a possible upcoming interview of Dr Douglas Dieterich, Professor of Medicine Division of Liver Diseases at Mount Sinai in NYC. Not to worry, I did get Valerie’s permission to repost it.
I would really like your input on this, ie. questions YOU might have that are related to Hepatitis C and how it may affect Baby Boomers (or anyone for that matter).
If you have any questions you think I should pass along to Dr Dieterich, please just use the Comment Section below and I will try to have it included in the interview.
From: Valerie Cardaci
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011 4:37 PM
To: ‘blog.boomersus@gmail.com’
Subject: What Every Baby Boomer Should Know About Hepatitis C
Hi Joe,
How are you? I hope you are having a good week and are looking forward to the weekend! I really enjoy your "This Week in Good Reads" segment. There are so many interesting books on there! I am working on a campaign right now that I think your readers would greatly benefit from hearing about.
I'm contacting you on behalf of The Mount Sinai Medical Center to encourage you and Baby Boomers U.S. readers to learn more about a dangerous virus that can progress undetected for years – Hepatitis C. More than tw0 million people have been diagnosed, but an estimated two million do not know they have the virus, putting them at risk for long term health complications. And even more shocking, the majority of cases are found in baby boomers.
This month, we are taking awareness a step further by inviting you to interview Dr. Douglas Dieterich, Professor of Medicine Division of Liver Diseases at Mount Sinai in NYC, and former Hepatitis C patient who has dedicated his career to researching new ways to treat the virus. He is available to answer 5-7 of your questions via email, pertaining to Hepatitis C, and where the future of medicine will take us.
Hepatitis C is one of the most curable viruses if proper steps are taken. Unfortunately, it is also referred to as the "silent killer." Did you know?
- Not all patients are IV drug or intranasal cocaine users. Other ways to contract the virus include: body piercings, tattoos, manicures, pedicures, or even while playing sports such as boxing, and rugby.
- The virus can creep along very silently, presenting no symptoms or abnormal liver test results for 30-40 years
- Hepatitis C is spread by blood-to-blood contact
- If left undetected, the virus can lead to advanced scarring of the liver, or a condition known as cirrhosis, and eventually cause liver failure or other major complications including liver cancer
- About 4 times as many people will die in 2020 from Hepatitis C as in 2010
Dr. Dieterich himself fell into the category of "patient" in medical school when he accidentally stuck himself with an infected needle and contracted the virus. After his diagnosis he decided to dedicate his career to tackling this virus; understanding what makes it tick and find new treatments for it. He has done just that. This year, with his help, the FDA has approved two new drugs that bring the cure rate to 80 percent. Today we are lucky, as there are new protease inhibitors on the market and all over Mount Sinai clinical trials are the new wave of science. "If we can treat you, we can cure you almost all of the time. So go get tested before it's too late," Dr. Dieterich says.
To learn more, visit www.leadershiptocure.com, where you can watch a video of the doctor, and his patient, Karina, speak about their experiences.
I would appreciate the support in spreading awareness for Hepatitis C this month to your blog readers and encouraging them to get the simple blood test to find out if they have the virus. By keeping the conversation going, we can help save lives. Please let me know if you would like to incorporate an interview with Dr. Douglas Dieterich, as I would be happy to set that up.
Valerie Cardaci
P: 212-704-9134
E:vcardaci@westglen.com
Please just leave any questions you may have for the Doctor in the comments and I’ll see what I can do. Thanks.
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