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Show HEPATITIS C/continued complications accountfor the majority of thelivertransplants donein this country. The only todiagnoseearly he- patitis Cis with a bloodtest for its antibodies. Evidence of abnormal liver function alone is not reliable Foryears, doctors debated whetherit was worthwhile to track down everyone who'd ever had a blood transfusion before 1992 and recommendthat they be tested. Those opposedto doing so argued thatit would be a monumental andcostly task—and to little avail, since there is no cure for hepatitis C anyway But the proponents of testing have wonout. Blood banksacross the coun- try have beensendingletters to every- Thehepatitis C virus remains dormantfor 10, 20 or more years after it infects you. Duringall that time, youfeelperfectly well, even thoughthe virusalreadyis playing havoc with yourliver. one who received a blood trans- z Tori Reid: anelleet on lots eet tonight fusion before 1992, advising themto be screenedfor hepatitis C. Unfortunately, this search will only identify a fraction ofthe cases, since anyone in contact with aninfected person’s blood Sunday Freebie: Exploring Our Oceans know more about the moon than about our oceans—the Atlantic, most detailedhistory focusing on possible exposure does not re- Command, 1020 Baich Blvd, Stennis Space Center, Meanwhile, try this exercise with a child: Take an 8'/.x 1! piece of paper and foid it in thirds. About two-thirds the portion of the Earth covered by oceans (70.8%). Now put a quarter on the sheet. That represents the portion of the oceans we have surveyed. veal the sourceof the infection! Although wecannot cure he- patitis C, wecantreat its symp- toms. Theantiviral agentinterporary improvement of liver function (as judged by bloodtests) in about 10% to 20% of cases. It can causeflulike ¥) T: Reid, daughterof the actor/director Tim Reid, areadyis reluctant to reveal her age. “My age range is 16 to 26,” shetold us. “I'm older than my face. Whenyou are mid-orlate 20s but look 15 and go for a role in that age group, people who knowyour real age wouldlosethat vision.If they know my age, and I'm goBy ing outfor a 16-year-old, it has an effect. They want you g to havethatlook andbe that age.” [ Tori, an aspiring actress, graduated from Hampton University in 1994 (so wefigure she’sat the high end of her “age range”) and has been running the West Coastoffice of her father’s production company.“Becauseheis my boss,” said Tori, “he lets me havetheflexibility to go on auditions.” Tonight, her dad will be in the audience while Tori, as “Miss Golden Globe,” decorates the stage (and hopesto be discovered). Her duties will include handing Golden Globe awardsto the celebrities whowill hand them to the winners. The showairs live at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. may also havecontracted the disease (see “Should You Be Tested?” on page 12). Equally frustrating is the fact that, in almost half the cases, even the feron-alpha, givenin two courses once a weekfor three weeks, leads to tem- In , It’s Never Too Early To Fudge Your Age A liver transplant operation. Hepatitis C infection andits complications account tor most ofthe liver transplants in the U.S. HELP COMMEMORATETHE ’80s year from now, the Postal Service will issue a sheet of 15 Ales commemorating the 1980s. Next month, you can voteat htp://stampvote.msn.comonthe Webor ona symptoms, depression and other side ballot at any post office. The top vote-getters will become effects, however. And even whenit stamps. Here's a sneak peekfor our readers of the 30 finalists works, it oftenhas to berepeated, More (pick upto three in each category that best representthe "80s): recently, adding ribavirin—another an tiviral drug—to the interferon regimen has increased its effectiveness tenfold * People & events. |) Vladimir Horowitz returns to Russia; 2) Berlin Wall falls; 3) Arms Reduction Ti +4) Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens: 5) Iran frees U.S. hostages. Theresult in almost half the cases is long-term improvement—improvement, but not a cure is The pianist Viadimir Horowitz performsin Russia in 1986—his first return after What You Can Do \f a blood test shows that you are harboring the hepatitis C virus—even COUCeaRannRG cesuae Ut Z| UCncCun OnnCoe CN Ta Cy OULU MME CR ma GM RNC Un AGL you can not to infect others. Avoid alcohol, which can accelerate viral a atitis AandB ot the decade? * Arts & entertainment. 6) The film £.7:; 7) Hip-hop; 8) Country music; 9) Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities; 10) The Broadway hit Cats; 11) TV's The Cosby Show * Sports. |2) NCAA basketball's March Madness; 13) Figure skating; 14) Senior PGAtour; 15) Lakers vs. Celtics (eight NBAtitles between them in '80s); 16) San Francisco 49ers (three Super Bow! wins in 80s); 17) Beachvolleyball * Science & technology. 18) Personal computers; 19) AIDS awareness; 20) NASA's Space Shuttle program; 21) Compact dises; 22) Cable TV; 23) Gene mapping * Lifestyle. 24) Video games; 25) Aerobics 26) Minivans; 27) Mountainbiking; 28) CabbagePatch Kids; 29) Camcorders; and 30) Talk shows, PAGE 14 JANUARY 24, 1990 PARADE MAGAZINE |