Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How Do You Get Hepatitis C And B

How Are Hepatitis B And C Diagnosed

What is Hepatitis C and Why Should You Care?

Hepatitis B is diagnosed by a series of blood tests. The test may show an ongoing infection or antibodies that indicate that the patient is protected against hepatitis B. In patients who have a positive screening test that suggests the possibility of ongoing infection, further testing is done to determine the levels of the virus in the bloodstream.

Hepatitis C is diagnosed via a blood test called a Hepatitis C Antibody Test. A positive result means that hepatitis C antibodies are present in the blood. But a positive antibody test doesnt necessarily mean a person has hepatitis C. A further blood test is needed to confirm the diagnosis. This second blood test quantifies the amount of the virus or the viral load in the liver and the bloodstream.

Can Hepatitis B And C Be Prevented

Today, all babies get vaccinated against the hepatitis B virus in a series of three shots over a 6-month period. Doctors also recommend catch-up vaccination for all kids and teens younger than 19 years old who didnt get the vaccine as babies or didnt get all three doses.

Unfortunately, theres no vaccine for hep C yet.

Hepatitis Cases In Children

The number of cases of hepatitis in children has increased recently. Public health doctors and scientists are looking into what could be causing this.

See a GP if your child has symptoms of hepatitis, including yellowing of the eyes and skin .

Good hygiene, including supervising hand washing in young children, can help to prevent infections that can cause hepatitis.

Don’t Miss: Getting Paid For Hepatitis B Plasma

Screening For Hepatitis B & C

NYU Langone doctors provide screening for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, two forms of hepatitis that can become chronic and lead to serious liver damage without treatment.

Hepatologists, or liver specialists, and infectious disease specialists at NYU Langone recommend screening for some people who may be at increased risk of becoming infected.

Even though hepatitis B and C may cause no symptoms for years or even decades after infection, the viruses still may damage the liver. For this reason, screening is an important tool for early detection and treatment. It can prevent serious illness, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, and hinder the spread of infection.

Recommended Reading: Hepatitis C And Sexuality Activity

Is Hepatitis B Worse Than Hepatitis C

Liver Problems  Dr. Yasir Unani Herbal Hospital &  Research Center

Michael says, At the end of the day, its not which ones worsetheyre both bad. He points out that both can lead to liver cancer if left untreated.

Together, hepatitis B and C account for more than 80% of all liver cancers in the world. However, hepatitis B does seem to be more dangerous in some ways than hepatitis C for several reasons:

  • Hepatitis B is certainly more virulent and contagious than hepatitis C.
  • Hepatitis B is prevalent around the world and it causes more liver cancer than hepatitis C.
  • People with hepatitis B are more likely to die from complications to their liver than people with any of the other hepatitis infections.

When comparing hepatitis B and C, we should note that these viruses attack our cells in completely different ways. Hepatitis C operates in the standard virus way, by invading our cells and reproducing copy after copy of itself until it overwhelms the healthy cells. Hepatitis B, however, goes beyond cloning itself to reproduce and instead inserts itself into the healthy cells DNA. This is a more ominous process because it is much harder to destroy the hepatitis B cell when it takes root at the DNA level.

Additionally, hepatitis C typically causes cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver that interferes with its function, leading to liver cancer. However, in some cases, hepatitis B can cause liver cancer without any signs of cirrhosis. That can make liver cancer itself difficult to diagnose.

Recommended Reading: How To Prevent Hepatitis A

Who Is Most Affected

In the United States, rates of new HBV infections are highest among adults aged 30-59 years, reflecting low hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults at risk. The most common risk factor among people with new HBV infections is injecting drugs, related to the opioid crisis.

The highest rates of chronic hepatitis B infection in the United States occur among foreign-born individuals, especially people born in Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa. Approximately 70% of cases in the United States are among people who were born outside of the United States. CDC developed this map of the geographic distribution of hepatitis B around the world PDF. Other groups who have higher rates of chronic HBV infection include people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.

Also Check: How Is Hepatitis B Transmitted

Treatment For Hepatitis A B Or C Is Based On Which Type Of Hepatitis Is Present In The Bloodstream And The Severity Of The Resulting Liver Damage Depending On The Results Of There Is No Specific Treatment For Hepatitis A Symptoms For The Infection Are Treated As They Appear Individuals May Need To Be Hospitalised As A Result Of Their Illness There Is A Small Risk Of Death During The Acute Phase Of Infection Particularly In Those Aged 60 And Over A New Treatment For Hepatitis C Cured 90% Of Patients With The Infection In 12 Weeks Scientists Said The Study Is A Major Breakthrough And Marks A Turning Point In Hepatitis C Treatment Uptake Of Daa Treatment However Different Strategies May Be Required To Engage People Who Inject Drugs Who Are Reluctant Or Sceptical About The New Daa Treatment Or May Have Barriers To Accessing Treatment References Department Of Health A Fourth National Hepatitis C Strategy 20142017 The Report Indicated That President Abdel

  • Mother of four Jude Hennessy contracted hepatitis C in her 20s and returned a negative result after treatment. The now mother of four went down a …
  • Hepatitis A for Patients There are no special treatments for hepatitis A. Most people with hepatitis A recover without treatment within a few months by getting a lot of rest
  • There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Symptoms for the infection are treated as they appear. Individuals may need to be hospitalised as a result of their illness. There is a small risk of death during the acute phase of infection particularly in those aged 60 and over.
  • Guidelines for the screening, care and treatment of persons with hepatitis C infection. 1.Hepatitis C prevention and control. 2.Hepatitis C diagnosis. 3.Hepatitis C drug therapy. 4.Guideline. I.World Health Organization. ISBN 978 92 4 154875 5
  • This report summarises data on the prescription and distribution of hepatitis C treatments and provides insight into the initial phase of the roll-out of DAA therapy in Australia. Key findings: An estimated 70,260 people treated with DAA therapy through PBS 2016-2018 = 33% of estimated chronic HCV population. …

Recommended Reading: Hepatitis B How Long Does It Last

How Do You Get Hepatitis B

  • sharing toothbrushes and razors

  • sharing needles for shooting drugs, piercings, tattoos, etc.

  • getting stuck with a needle that has the Hep B virus on it.

Hepatitis B can also be passed to babies during birth if their mother has it.

Hepatitis B isnt spread through saliva , so you CANT get hepatitis B from sharing food or drinks or using the same fork or spoon. Hepatitis B is also not spread through kissing, hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, or breastfeeding.

Is There A Cure For Hepatitis

What you need to know about Hepatitis B

According to Zappas, there is no technical cure for viral hepatitis, and antibodies will always test positive in a patient who has experienced hepatitis A, B or C. The management of chronic hepatitis B is complex and based on a myriad of factors. Some patients manage their condition with long-term antiviral medications.

However, vaccinations for hepatitis A and B have proven highly effective. Hepatitis A and B vaccinations are recommended and routinely done in infancy, Zappas affirmed. Most people respond to these vaccinations, but post-vaccination testing may be indicated in high-risk patients.

The outlook is even brighter when it comes to hepatitis C: Over the last 10 years, the hepatitis C treatment regimens have evolved, Zappas said. Now, theres nearly a 90% cure rate with certain antiviral medications, which can eradicate the replication of the hepatitis C RNA and therefore abate the damage of the virus on the liver. It is important to note that patients are not immune to hepatitis C after treatment, and can be reinfected and/or contract another strain.

To measure the effects, providers look for a sustained virologic response indicating that the virus remains inactive, which is evaluated between 12 and 24 weeks after beginning the medication.

To reference the work of our faculty online, we ask that you directly quote their work where possible and attribute it to âFACULTY NAME, a professor in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

You May Like: False Positive For Hepatitis C

How To Protect Yourself Against Hepatitis B

Dr. Fried emphasizes that hepatitis B infection can be prevented by avoiding risky behaviors involving sex and drugs and by getting vaccinated. The hepatitis B vaccination is required for infants at birth, and subsequent vaccinations for adults are also important. There are separate vaccines for hepatitis A and B, but there is also a combination A and B vaccine so you can take care of both types at once. In North Carolina, newborn vaccinations have been required since 1994. Anyone born before this year should talk to their health care provider about being vaccinated for hepatitis B.

What Happens With Hepatitis C

Is hepatitis C a virus? Yes. With acute hepatitis C, the virus is eliminated in 25% of people. The rest of the people become chronically infected and later may develop serious complications such as liver failure and liver cancer. There is treatment, however, for hepatitis C that usually can prevent the complications.

You May Like: Daa Drugs For Hepatitis C

Don’t Miss: Standard Process Canine Hepatic Support

How Can You Prevent The Spread Of Hepatitis C

Now that you know how you get hepatitis C, you can take steps to protect yourself from the virus. For instance:

  • Avoid sharing needles or other paraphernalia related to intravenous drugs.
  • Wear gloves if youre a health care worker or otherwise exposed to needles or potentially infected blood.
  • Use barrier methodsaka condomsoutside of sexually monogamous relationships.
  • Dont share toothbrushes or other dental equipment, nail clippers, or shaving tools.
  • If youre getting a tattoo or piercing, make sure the artist or piercer uses sterile ink and needles.

If you have the hepatitis C virus, you can prevent passing it along to others by following those same steps, in addition to:

  • Covering any open sores or wounds.
  • Telling all your health and dental care providers you have the virus.
  • Avoiding donating blood.

Dont Miss: Royal Canin Hepatic Wet Dog Food

Can People With Hep C Be Blood Donors

3 facts about Hepatitis C

You are ruled out as a blood donor if you have had hepatitis C, even if you have no symptoms. All blood donations in the U.S. are tested for hepatitis C antibodies, which will indicate whether the person has had HCV in the past. This is essential to prevent the transmission of HCV to the blood recipients.

Read Also: Can You Get Hepatitis C From Oral Sex

Who Should Be Vaccinated For Hepatitis B

All newborns should be vaccinated. Also, people who are under 18 who were not vaccinated at birth should also get the vaccine. Other groups who should be sure to be vaccinated are those in certain high-risk categories, such as:

  • People who have more than one sexual partner.
  • Men who have sex with men.
  • Adults with diabetes.
  • Sexual partners of infected people and people who share households with infected individuals.
  • People who are exposed to blood and other bodily fluids, including healthcare and public safety professionals, and people who work in jails and other places taking care of people who cant take care of themselves.

What If You Test Positive For Hepatitis

If testing discloses that you have viral hepatitis there are steps to prevent your passing the viruses to family and friends. Washing the hands helps prevent transmission of hepatitis A. Not sharing needles, razors, nail clippers, or toothbrushes also will reduce transmission of viral hepatitis. Everyone should be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

You May Like: What Are The Signs Of Hepatitis C

How Can You Prevent Hepatitis B And Hepatitis C

Hepatitis B: Vaccination is the best way to prevent all of the ways that hepatitis B is transmitted. People with HIV who do not have active HBV infection should be vaccinated against it. In addition to the 3-dose series of hepatitis B vaccine given over 6 months, as of 2017, there is a 2-dose series given over 1 month.

Hepatitis C: No vaccine exists for HCV and no effective pre- or postexposure prophylaxis is available. The best way to prevent hepatitis C infection is to never inject drugs or to stop injecting drugs by getting into and staying in drug treatment. If you continue injecting drugs, always use new, sterile needles or syringes, and never reuse or share needles or syringes, water, or other drug preparation equipment.

Hepatitis B Virus And Hepatitis C Virus Dual Infection

What is Hepatitis B? Signs, Symptoms, #Hepatitis Transmission and How to get #Tested

Correspondence to: Giovanni Raimondo, MD, Professor, Chief, Division of Clinical and Molecular Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98124 Messina, Italy.

Telephone: +39-90-2212392 Fax: +39-90-2213594

Also Check: Is Hepatitis C An Autoimmune Disease

How Are Hepatitis B And C Treated

Hepatitis B: Not all patients with chronic hepatitis B infection require treatment. At Yale Medicine, specialists decide on an individual basis whether a patient is an appropriate candidate for treatment. Generally, patients require treatment when their hepatitis B virus level is high, and when laboratory tests demonstrate significant inflammation or injury to the liver.

There are currently seven approved drugs for hepatitis B, two of which are considered to be first-line treatments. These drugs are oral pills taken once daily, and while they’re very effective at suppressing the virus to very low or undetectable levels over the long term, they are not considered curative.

Therefore, the goal of treatment is to control the virus long-term and decrease the risk of hepatitis B related complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Hepatitis C: For the greater part of the last 20 years, treatment of hepatitis C required the use of a chemotherapy-like injection drug called interferon, which has been associated with serious side effects and a low cure rate. Fortunately, advances in hepatitis C treatments within the last three years now allow for the use of oral medications that are significant improvements in terms of safety and effectiveness.

Unregulated Tattoos And Body Piercings

Tattoos and body piercings use needles that pierce through your skin. Each piercing brings more opportunities for the needle to come in contact with infected blood. If you get a tattoo or body piercing using the same needle that’s been exposed to infected blood, it puts you at greater risk of contracting hepatitis C.

Read Also: How Many People Have Hepatitis C

What Is The Outlook

Most people with hepatitis A recover without any complications. Once youve had hepatitis A, you cant get it again. Antibodies to the virus will protect you for life.

Some people may be at an increased risk for serious illness from hepatitis A. These include:

acute hepatitis B infections in the United States in 2018.

Can Hepatitis A Be Prevented

How do you get hepatitis C?

The following will help keep people safe from hepatitis A:

  • regular hand washing, especially after going to the bathroom or diapering a baby, and before eating
  • washing fruits and vegetables before eating them
  • not eating raw shellfish, such as raw oysters
  • getting the vaccine for hep A

Getting vaccinated helps a person’s body make antibodies that protect against hepatitis infection. The hepatitis A vaccine is now given to all kids when they’re between 1 and 2 years old, and to people who are traveling to countries where the virus could get into the food and water supply.

Page 2

Also Check: Treatment To Cure Hepatitis C

How Is Hepatitis Treated

Someone who has hepatitis will need to drink enough fluids, eat healthy foods, and get rest. The person’s family members may need to get hepatitis vaccines, if they haven’t already.

Later on, the person will get follow-up blood tests. Often the blood tests will show that the person no longer has hepatitis. Sometimes, the blood tests may show that someone is now a carrier of hepatitis he or she won’t have hepatitis symptoms, but could pass the infection to other people.

Sometimes, blood tests will continue to show that some people still have hep B or C, which means they may have chronic hepatitis. If so, they will need to eat healthy foods and take very good care of themselves by getting rest and visiting the doctor regularly. In some cases, someone with chronic hepatitis may get special medicine for the condition.

We hope that this heads-up on hepatitis will help you stay safe. It may sound funny, but you can love your liver by washing your hands and making smart choices!

What Happens With Hepatitis A

Viral diseases generally are contagious. Hepatitis A is highly contagious. It usually is spread from person to person via a fecal-oral route, meaning via fecal contamination of food. It usually is a mild hepatitis, and many people do not know they are infected. The virus is eliminated by the body rapidly, and it does not cause long-term damage. Good hand washing hygiene helps prevent hepatitis A.

Don’t Miss: Hepatitis C Causes Liver Cancer

The Types Of Viral Hepatitis

There are five main types of viral hepatitis known as hepatitis A , hepatitis B , hepatitis C , hepatitis D , and hepatitis E . That said, there have been cases of acute hepatitis that could not be attributed to one of these five types of hepatitis viruses, alcohol, drugs, or autoimmune disease, which lead researchers to try to find another cause.

Though the etiology of these viruses have not yet been fully established, researchers have identified three other types of viral hepatitis , which they have named hepatitis F , hepatitis G , and transfusions transmitted virus . As relatively new diseases and viral discoveries, information about them and how they work is relatively scarce. We do know, however, that cases of TTV have only been associated with hepatitis in people who have had a blood transfusion.

Recommended Reading: How Serious Is Hepatitis C

Popular Articles
Related news