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Hepatitis C is a serious and often-silent liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus. It is one of five main types of hepatitis (the other four are hepatitis A, B, and the less-common D and E). Hepatitis C is transmitted when an infected person’s blood enters a healthy person’s bloodstream, for example, via contaminated needles (including unsterilized tattoo needles), accidental needlesticks in healthcare workers, and less often, unprotected sex.
Roughly 17,000 new cases occur in the U.S. each year.
Sometimes hepatitis C is fleeting, in which case the body gets rid of it on its own within a few months of a person’s exposure to the virus. More often, though, the infection quietly lingers, causing the liver to become inflamed. When this happens, severe liver scarring, called cirrhosis, can occur. Chronic hepatitis C may lead to liver cancer, liver failure, and death.
Acute hepatitis C
Acute hepatitis C is a viral infection that develops in the initial weeks or months after the hepatitis C virus (HCV) enters a person’s bloodstream. “Acute” means the illness is sudden and short-lived, occurring within the first two weeks to six months of infection.
In up to 25% of cases, the virus clears the body on its own without treatment.
Although there are treatments for acute hepatitis C, few people experience symptoms to indicate that the infection is present. (For those who do, fever, fatigue, and other flu-like symptoms are common.)
Without obvious signs of illness, most cases of acute hepatitis C lead to chronic infection.
Chronic hepatitis C
An estimated 75% to 85% of people with acute hepatitis C go on to develop chronic infection, lasting at least six months and often much longer. Even at this stage, most people do not experience symptoms. But that doesn’t mean the infection is benign. Years of infection can wreak havoc on the liver, and you may not even know it until problems with liver function begin to surface.
Often, chronic hepatitis C is detected during routine blood testing, or when an infected person tries to donate blood. (Donated blood is routinely tested for hepatitis C, among other infections.)
Some 3 million to 4 million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C, and most are unaware of their condition. Globally, approximately 700,000 people die annually die from liver disease related to hepatitis C.
Signs and symptoms of hepatitis C
1gettyimages-639000586 spider-like blood vessels, and a buildup of toxins in the bloodstream that can lead to brain damage.
Chronic hepatitis C is also one of the leading causes of liver cancer, which shares many of the same symptoms as those experienced by people who have had hepatitis C for many years, including fatigue, fever, bloating, right-side pain, and jaundice.
How is hepatitis C diagnosed?
Unless symptoms arise, people with hepatitis C usually don’t know they have the infection until it’s discovered during routine blood testing. If you have symptoms or hepatitis C is suspected, your doctor may press on your abdomen above the liver to see whether the organ is tender or enlarged. Simple blood tests can confirm the diagnosis.
A screening test can tell whether you have developed antibodies to fight off the hepatitis C virus. If you test positive for these antibodies, it means you have been exposed to the virus at some point in your life. The virus may or may not be present.
A second blood test can confirm whether the virus is currently present in your bloodstream. It detects genetic material of the hepatitis C virus, called RNA. If you test positive, it means you have the infection. If not, it means your body cleared the infection on its own.
A third blood test may be ordered to determine the “genotype,” or strain, of the virus. This information may help your doctor select the appropriate treatment.
A liver biopsy may be ordered to check for chronic hepatitis C. This test is performed in a hospital or outpatient facility. A thin biopsy needle is inserted to extract a small sample of liver tissue. You may be given sedatives and pain relief medication.
Hepatitis C treatment
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What causes hepatitis C?
The liver infection known as hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus. It is the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the United States and a major cause of liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The hepatitis C virus is believed to be responsible for 60% to 70% of all types of chronic hepatitis.
You cannot get hepatitis C from food or drink or casual contact with an infected person. It passes from an infected person to a healthy person through blood.
Many infections occur because people share needles, syringes and other equipment to inject drugs. But any activity that exposes a person to the blood of someone with hepatitis C can pose a risk.
Is hepatitis C curable?
Today, hepatitis C is highly treatable. Up to 90% of people can be cured with new antiviral medicines, according to the World Health Organization. These newer-generation medicines work faster and with fewer adverse effects than older treatments.
Someone is considered “cured” when signs of the virus disappear six months after completing a prescribed treatment regimen. People with chronic hepatitis C should talk to a doctor who specializes in the care of hepatitis C patients about specific treatments and whether their hepatitis is curable.
How do you get hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a viral infection, but unlike the common cold, you cannot catch or spread it to others by sneezing, coughing, or shaking hands. Instead, it’s contracted though contact with an infected person’s blood.
People who share needles and other paraphernalia used to inject illegal drugs are at high risk of infection. Healthcare workers can get it through needlestick and sharps injuries, and people who get tattoos can get it from unsterilized needles. About 6% of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C contract the virus. Getting a tattoo or body piercing with equipment that isn’t properly sterilized can also put you at risk.
You can catch hepatitis C by having unprotected sex, but the risk is considered to be much lower, especially among monogamous couples. (People who have a sexually transmitted disease or HIV, multiple sex partners, or who engage in rough sexual intercourse are at higher risk.)
How is hepatitis C transmitted?
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Hepatitis C vaccine
Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. Developing an effective vaccine is tricky, in part because the hepatitis C virus is capable of developing new strains and subtypes.
However, vaccine research continues on two fronts: preventing the infection and treating people who have chronic hepatitis C infection.
Prevention
Until a vaccine is discovered, the best way to protect people from being exposed to the hepatitis C virus is to avoid contact with other people’s blood or open wounds.
Don’t share needles or other items with blood on them. If you use illegal drugs, seek out treatment or find a local needle exchange program for free, sterile needles. Use only properly sterilized needles for body piercings and tattoos. Wear gloves if you are a health care worker who is exposed to other people’s blood. Use condoms if you have multiple sex partners or have rough sex that may cause bleeding. Avoid sex or use a condom when your or your partner is menstruating or when one or both of you have an open genital sore. For elective surgical procedures that may require a blood transfusion, consider donating your own blood prior to the operation.