About Hepatitis C

What is Hepatitis C?

hepatitis-02Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. Today, most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. For some people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness but for 70%–85% of people who become infected with Hepatitis C, it becomes a long-term, chronic infection. Chronic Hepatitis C is a serious disease than can result in long-term health problems, even death. The majority of infected persons might not be aware of their infection because they are not clinically ill. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C. The best way to prevent Hepatitis C is by avoiding behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injecting drugs.

Is it possible for someone to become infected with HCV and then spontaneously clear the infection?

Yes. Approximately 15%–25% of persons clear the virus from their bodies without treatment and do not develop chronic infection; the reasons for this are not well known.

How likely is HCV infection to become chronic?

HCV infection becomes chronic in approximately 75%–85% of cases.

Why do most persons remain chronically infected with HCV?

A person infected with HCV mounts an immune response to the virus, but replication of the virus during infection can result in changes that evade the immune response. This may explain how the virus establishes and maintains chronic infection.

What are the chances of someone developing chronic HCV infect ion, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, or liver cancer or dying as a result of hepatitis C?

  • Of every 100 persons infected with HCV, approximately
  • 75–85 will go on to develop chronic infection
  • 60–70 will go on to develop chronic liver disease
  • 5–20 will go on to develop cirrhosis over a period of 20–30 years
  • 1–5 will die from the consequences of chronic infection (liver cancer or cirrhosis)

Is there a hepatitis C vaccine?

No vaccine for hepatitis C is available. Research into the development of a vaccine is under way.

What are the latest treatments for HCV?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several treatments to treat adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) both with and without cirrhosis (advanced liver disease). For more information about the latest treatments click here (http://hepatitiscnewdrugresearch.com/approved-treatments-for-hepatitis-c.html

Are there any long-term effects?

Yes. About 75% to 85% of people who have it develop a long-term infection called chronic hepatitis C. It can lead to conditions like liver cancer and cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. This is one of the top reasons people get liver transplants.

Who gets hepatitis C?

Anyone can get hepatitis C, but those more likely to are people who

  • were born to a mother with hepatitis C
  • are in contact with blood or infected needles at work
  • have had more than one sex partner in the last 6 months or have a history of sexually transmitted disease
  • are on kidney dialysis—the process of filtering wastes and extra water from the body by means other than the kidneys
  • HCV-transare infected with HIV
  • have injected illegal drugs
  • have had tattoos or body piercings
  • work or live in a prison
  • had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992
  • have hemophilia and received clotting factor before 1987

How could I get hepatitis C?

You could get hepatitis C through contact with an infected person’s blood. This contact could occur by

  • being born to a mother with hepatitis C
  • getting an accidental stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
  • having unprotected sex with an infected person
  • having contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
  • sharing drug needles or other drug materials with an infected person
  • being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools that were used on an infected person
  • using an infected person’s razor, toothbrush, or nail clippers

You cannot get hepatitis C from

  • shaking hands or holding hands with an infected person
  • being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person
  • hugging an infected person
  • sitting next to an infected person
  • sharing spoons, forks, and other eating utensils
  • drinking water or eating food

A baby cannot get hepatitis C from breast milk

Sources: Centers for Disease Control, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, WebMD and Hepatitiscnewdrugresearch.com