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2024 marks 23 years since Pamela Anderson was warned that she had just a decade left to live following a blindsiding Hepatitis C diagnosis.
Hep C is a virus that primarily affects a person's liver, and is usually passed from person to person via blood transmission, with sharing needles being the most common form. It can also be transmitted through sexual activity, though this is considered rare.
The Canadian-American model was diagnosed in 2001, and alleged in 2002 to Larry King on CNN that she'd contracted the disease from her musician ex-husband Tommy Lee - to whom she was previously married to for three years between 1995 and 1998.
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Anderson claimed the two had shared a tattoo needle during their relationship - though Lee has consistently denied these claims.
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In 2015, she announced that she had made a full recovery, writing on Instagram as per Los Angeles Times: "I am CURED!!! - I just found out #nomorehepc #thankyou #blessing #family #prayer #live."
Speaking to ABC News at the time, she said: "They said I would die in 10 years. When someone tells you something like that you kind of act differently subconsciously."
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The star forked out over $100,000 on the drug treatment through her health insurance, adding: "Twelve weeks and gone, yes. I feel like I got back 20 years back of my life.”
Hep C can be deadly if not immediately treated - and yet, there are often no initial symptoms of the disease during the first six months of infection, which is known as acute hepatitis C, the NHS says.
When symptoms do emerge, however, they usually present themselves in eight common forms.
1) Fever
A fever is usually one of the first Hep C symptoms to develop, but many only do so a few weeks after initial infection.
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According to the NHS, a temperature of around 38 degrees (100F) or above should warrant a trip to your GP.
2) Fatigue (tiredness)
When used in this capacity, 'fatigue' isn't used to describe just general tiredness, but as a means of emphasising both mental and physical exhaustion.
Whilst it's still not known whether the hep C virus itself actually causes the fatigue, WebMD says that if you have a condition like cirrhosis, which is the scarring of the liver that can potentially be caused by hep C, then you're more likely to be tired.
3) Loss of appetite
Liver damage caused by the virus can lead to a complete loss of hunger. This is often the result of a build-up of pressure in your livers blood vessels, which can be caused by cirrhosis, leading to the veins in your oesophagus and other aspects of the digestive system enlarging, WebMD further says.
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Because cirrhosis creates scar tissue in the liver, it cannot work as well, leading to a lack of appetite which can cause weight loss.
4) Abdominal pain
This pain is usually pin-pointed to the upper-right of the patient's abdomen, and can develop into bloating and indigestion.
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As well as stomach pain, ascites can also occur in Hep C sufferers, Penn Medicine says, which is caused by a build up of fluid in the peritoneal space between the organs and abdominal wall.
According to Hepatitis C Trust, abdominal pain is considered a symptom of chronic hepatitis C, which is when a person has had the infection for more than six months.
5) Nausea
Because of a condition like cirrhosis, it could lead to bouts of nausea as a result of digestion problems.
6) Vomiting
Similar to nausea, vomiting can also be a side effect to hep C. In the case of advanced hep C, vomiting blood is usually a sign of the liver failing to function.
7) Dark urine
Another symptom of Hep C is a darkening in the colour of the patient's urine. Dark coloured urine is usually caused by a build up of billirubin, which itself is caused by damage to the liver, according to HepCMyWay.
On the topic of bowel movement, another symptom to watch out for is pale stools.
As the body digests food, it creates bile - which is a yellow-greenish substance - that makes faeces a brown colour, so if your poo is pale then it suggests a lack of bile being produced.
8) Yellowing of the skin or eyes
Another symptom of Hep C is jaundice - a condition where the skin and whites of the eyes turn a sickly share of yellow - again this is due to a build up of bilirubin in the blood.
According to the NHS, around 1 in 5 people with hep C experience jaundice. By itself, jaundice is a symptom of advanced liver disease and could signal total failure, HepCMyWay says, so it is important to see a doctor straight away if you notice a change in the tint to your skin.
If you have chronic hepatitis C, treatment includes a test to see how damaged your liver is, medication and potential lifestyle changes, the NHS says.
They further say that two blood tests will be issued - one at the end of your treatment and another 12 to 24 weeks after treatment - to check if the virus is gone.
If both show no signs of the infection, this means treatment has been successful.
Topics: Health, Life, Real Life, True Life, Celebrity, US News, NHS
Rhianna Benson