Is Hepatitis C Good For You

What Causes Hepatitis C

The hepatitis C virus causes hepatitis C. The hepatitis C virus spreads through contact with an infected persons blood. Contact can occur by

• sharing drug needles or other drug materials with an infected person
• getting an accidental stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
• being tattooed or pierced with tools or inks that were not kept sterilefree from all viruses and other microorganismsand were used on an infected person before they were used on you
• having contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person
• using an infected persons razor, toothbrush, or nail clippers
• being born to a mother with hepatitis C
• having unprotected sex with an infected person

You cant get hepatitis C from

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

A baby cant get hepatitis C from breast milk.18

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

• Do I need treatment?
• What treatment is best for me?
• What medicines should I take?
• Are there any medicines I should avoid?
• How can I cope with the side effects of treatment?
• Is there a therapist I can talk to?
• How long will my treatment last?
• Can hepatitis C be cured?
• Are organ transplants and blood transfusions safe?
• Is it safe for me to get pregnant?

Treatment Of Relapse Or Non

Sometimes you may need to take a different combination of medicines if your first round of treatment didn’t work very well. If it was not done before, your doctor may do a test to find out which genotype caused the infection. This may help the doctor choose a medicine that is more likely to cure the infection.

Also Check: How To Cure Hepatitis C

Living With Hepatitis C Infection

Many people are living with hepatitis C. If you have hepatitis C, there are several important things that you can do to help yourself and others such as:

• Eat a healthy diet and get plenty of rest.
• To avoid further liver damage:
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Do not take medicine that can cause liver damage .
• Get vaccinated against hepatitis A & B if you are not already immune.
• Do not to pass the infection to anyone else by taking the following precautions, such as:
• Do not share toothbrushes or razors with others.
• Do not to let anyone else come into contact with your blood, urine or feces.
• Use condoms during sexual activity.
• Limit the number of sex partners you have.
• If you use injection drugs, do not share needles or syringes with anyone else.
• It is best to not get tattoos or body piercings.

Although often uncomfortable, you should notify your partner of your hepatitis C prior to having sex. You also must notify all your health care professionals of your infection, so they can take precautions.

What Other Tests Diagnose Hepatitis C

Once the diagnosis of hepatitis C is established, other tests may be done to determine whether the patient has developed liver fibrosis or scarring . This can be done with a needle biopsy of the liver, and examining the biopsied liver tissue under the microscope. Liver biopsy is less commonly done today because noninvasive tests are more readily available, more easily accomplished and less costly.

Liver imaging can evaluate fibrosis using ultrasound and MRI scans. Additionally, calculations using a variety of blood tests also can predict the degree of inflammation and fibrosis present. Genotype testing will typically be done to determine what subtype of hepatitis C the patient has, as this will impact what drugs are used for treatment.

Testing for other infections including HIV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B is typically done to determine if the patient might have other conditions that could impact patient’s treatment and prognosis.

With the newest forms of antiviral treatment, the most common types of chronic hepatitis C can be cured in most individuals.

You May Like: Best Medicine For Hepatitis B

Sometimes The Infection Goes Away On Its Own

Acute hepatitis is C is a short-term illness that occurs within the first six months after being exposed to the virus. Like the human papillomavirus , early acute hepatitis C can clear on its own without treatment this happens about 25% of the time.

However, it’s more likely that the virus will remain in your body longer than six months, at which point it’s considered to be chronic hepatitis C infection.

“Being younger or a woman tends to be a factor in whether the virus clears on its own, and genetics may play a role,” Reau says. “But we can’t determine with certainty which people are certain to clear the infection and which aren’t.”

How Is Hepatitis C Transmitted

The way the virus does spread is through contact with the blood of someone who is infected. Most commonly, this occurs through one of the following methods.

Intravenous drug usePeople who share needles or other supplies while injecting drugs like cocaine and heroin have a high risk for contracting hepatitis C. Even if you only used these types of drugs once years ago, there is still a chance you are infected.

Needlestick injuriesHealth care or other safety workers may come into contact with an infected persons blood if theyre accidentally stuck with a contaminated needle or other sharp object. Parents often worry about their children developing hepatitis C after finding a needle on the ground or at the beach. While thats possible, its unlikely, Dr. Nachman saysthe most commonly discarded needles are insulin needles, which typically dont contain enough blood to transmit hepatitis C. Plus, the virus can only survive about a day outside of the body.

Medical proceduresNow, donated blood and organs are screened for the hepatitis C virus. However, before 1992, that wasnt the case, so people who received blood transfusions or an organ transplant before that time might have become infected.

Tattoos and piercingsThese days, licensed and regulated tattoo parlors dont pose much of a danger. However, piercings or tattoos received in unregulated settings, such as prisons, may spread hepatitis C, Dr. Kodali says.

RELATED: 8 Things You Probably Didnt Know About Hepatitis

Recommended Reading: Can Hepatitis C Cause Itching

The Nafld And Hepatitis C Connection

Why should you care about fatty liver disease if you have hepatitis C? While one condition doesnt necessarily cause the other, there is an important link. Even without hepatitis C, patients can have fatty liver diseasethey can be separate entities, says Dr. Satoskar. However, in patients that do have a hepatitis C infection, there is a higher prevalence of fatty liver disease than in the general population.

In fact, up to 50% of people with hep C also have fatty liver disease. We believe that the hepatitis virus itself does something to the metabolism of fats within the liver that can lead to more fat deposition, he says.

This increased risk might have something to do with your particular strainor genotypeof hep C virus. If a patient with hepatitis C has whats called genotype 3, they are a little bit more likely to get fatty liver disease, Dr. Fox says.

About 10% to 20% of people with hepatitis C are infected with genotype 3, according to a 2018 study in Annals of Gastroenterology. And while experts dont know for sure why genotype 3 leads to fatty liver disease more often than other genotypes, its likely related to a unique reaction that occurs between the genotype 3 virus and the cells in the liver that leads to greater expression of fatty acid enzymes. Those with hep C genotype 3 who do get fatty liver disease are also more likely to see the disease worsen faster, leading to liver fibrosis.

If You Have Hepatitis C Can You Have Sex Without Infecting Your Partner

Hepatitis C is a virus that is transmitted by blood. The most common ways people become infected with hepatitis C are through needle sharing, such as during injection drug use, or from blood transfusions received before 1992.

Becoming infected from sex is not common, but it does happen. If you have hepatitis C, the chance of infecting a sex partner is higher if you are with a new partner or if you have had many different partners over time. If you have hepatitis C, the chance of infecting a sex partner is lower if you are with a longtime stable partner and if you are in a monogamous relationship.

If your sex partner is new to you, or if you have many different partners, it is safer if you use condoms during sex to reduce the chance of transmitting hepatitis C.

It is always best to talk directly with your health care provider to assess whether you should start using condoms. If you are in a sexual relationship and either you or your partner has hepatitis C, the other partner should be tested for hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted viruses once a year, or as advised by your provider.

Read Also: What Are The Different Types Of Hepatitis

Is There A Way To Prevent Hepatitis C

Although currently theres no vaccine to protect people from contracting hepatitis C, there are vaccines for other hepatitis viruses, including hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

If you receive a hepatitis C diagnosis, your healthcare provider may advise you to get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.

The vaccinations are recommended because these hepatitis viruses can lead to additional health and liver complications, especially in those with preexisting liver disease.

Since you cant prevent hepatitis C through a vaccine, the best prevention is to avoid exposure. Hepatitis C is a bloodborne pathogen, so you can limit your chances of exposure through these healthy lifestyle practices:

• Avoid sharing needles, razor blades, or nail clippers.
• Use proper safety precautions if youll be exposed to bodily fluids, such as when performing first aid.
• Hepatitis C isnt usually transmitted through sexual contact, but its possible. Limit your exposure by practicing sex with a condom or other barrier method. Its also important to openly communicate with sexual partners and to get tested if you suspect youve been exposed to the hepatitis C virus.

Because hepatitis C is transmitted through blood, its possible to contract it through a blood transfusion.

However, since the early 1990s, blood product screening tests have been standard protocol for minimizing the risk of this type of transmission.

Subsequent testing is based on risk. Talk to your doctor about your needs.

One Last Thing About Preparing Food For Someone With Hepatitis C

If you are caregiving for someone with hepatitis, these suggestions can help you to provide your loved one with a well-balanced diet. Be sure to avoid foods and medication that may be harmful to a recovering liver, and work closely with a registered dietitian nutritionist and the doctor .

It also doesnt hurt to get screened yourself. In recent years, the recommendations for getting tested for a hepatitis C infection have changed and greatly broadened. The CDC now recommends that all adults ages 18 and older, as well as pregnant women during each pregnancy, get screened for hepatitis C at least once in their lives.

Also Check: What Is Hepatitis C Antibody Mean

Can Hepatitis C Be Prevented

There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. But you can help protect yourself from hepatitis C infection by:

• Not sharing drug needles or other drug materials
• Wearing gloves if you have to touch another person’s blood or open sores
• Making sure your tattoo artist or body piercer uses sterile tools and unopened ink
• Not sharing personal items such toothbrushes, razors, or nail clippers
• Using a latex condom during sex. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Getting Tested For Hepatitis C

Seek medical advice if you have persistent symptoms of hepatitis C or there’s a risk you’re infected, even if you do not have any symptoms.

A blood test can be carried out to see if you have the infection.

GPs, sexual health clinics, genitourinary medicine clinics or drug treatment services all offer testing for hepatitis C.

Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent or limit any damage to your liver, as well as help ensure the infection is not passed on to other people.

Read Also: What Is The Definition Of Hepatitis B

How Do Doctors Treat Hepatitis C

Doctors treat hepatitis C with antiviral medicines that attack the virus and can cure the disease in most cases.

Several newer medicines, called direct-acting antiviral medicines, have been approved to treat hepatitis C since 2013. Studies show that these medicines can cure chronic hepatitis C in most people with this disease. These medicines can also cure acute hepatitis C. In some cases, doctors recommend waiting to see if an acute infection becomes chronic before starting treatment.

Your doctor may prescribe one or more of these newer, direct-acting antiviral medicines to treat hepatitis C:

• peginterferon alfa-2a or peginterferon alfa-2b

You may need to take medicines for 8 to 24 weeks to cure hepatitis C. Your doctor will prescribe medicines and recommend a length of treatment based on

• which hepatitis C genotype you have
• how much liver damage you have
• whether you have been treated for hepatitis C in the past

Your doctor may order blood tests during and after your treatment. Blood tests can show whether the treatment is working. Hepatitis C medicines cure the infection in most people who complete treatment.

Hepatitis C medicines may cause side effects. Talk with your doctor about the side effects of treatment. Check with your doctor before taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

For safety reasons, talk with your doctor before using dietary supplements, such as vitamins, or any complementary or alternative medicines or medical practices.

What Are The Treatments For Hepatitis C

Treatment for hepatitis C is with antiviral medicines. They can cure the disease in most cases.

If you have acute hepatitis C, your health care provider may wait to see if your infection becomes chronic before starting treatment.

If your hepatitis C causes cirrhosis, you should see a doctor who specializes in liver diseases. Treatments for health problems related to cirrhosis include medicines, surgery, and other medical procedures. If your hepatitis C leads to liver failure or liver cancer, you may need a liver transplant.

Read Also: Hepatitis C Can You Get Rid Of It

But Even If You’ve Been Cured It Can Have Lifelong Health Implications

“Hepatitis C is a lot more than just a liver disease,” Reau says. “It has been associated with many medical conditions, such as an increased risk of developing diabetes, kidney disease and cancer.”

While curing hepatitis C significantly reduces the risk of serious complications, like liver failure, liver cancer and the need for transplantation, it doesn’t completely eliminate the health risks associated with the disease.

“Hep C is linked to scarring of the liver or cirrhosis and the more scar tissue that develops, the greater the likelihood of complications,” Reau says. “If there is a lot of scarring, you will need lifelong monitoring.”

Reau also recommends leading a healthy lifestyle to help prevent re-infection and further liver damage: Limit alcohol consumption, control your weight, avoid high-risk activities and manage diabetes if you have it.

The Effects Of Hepatitis C On Your Body

You may have seen numerous literature and commercials about chronic hepatitis C and for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , up to 3.9 million people in the United States may have the chronic form of this virus. According to the World Health Organization , over 70 million people are affected worldwide.

What exactly is chronic HCV? In a nutshell, it refers to ongoing inflammation of your liver. But it can lead to symptoms throughout your body. Over time, living with this condition can cause your body to be especially vulnerable to serious health complications.

HCV is transmitted through contact with the blood. Its rarely transmitted through sexual contact from someone infected with the virus. Ultimately, this infection leads to liver inflammation and a host of other issues that can severely damage your health.

The virus has two stages, acute and chronic. The acute stage happens within six months of being exposed to the virus. For some, this is a short-term illness. But according to the CDC, most people about 75 to 80 percent will develop chronic HCV. This means it can be lifelong. Most people dont realize they have the virus until other symptoms within their body start.

Although the hepatitis A, B, and C viruses all cause hepatitis, they are three different and distinct viruses.

Recommended Reading: Can You Live A Normal Life With Hepatitis C

Symptoms Of Hepatitis C

It is very important to know that not everyone with hepatitis C has symptoms. The only way to know if you have hepatitis is by talking to your doctor and getting a blood test.

Many people living with hepatitis C feel well and only have symptoms once the disease has progressed and there is serious liver damage.

If you do not have symptoms this does not mean that the virus isnt causing damage.

When first infected, some people may find:

• their urine becomes dark
• their eyes and skin turn yellow
• they experience a minor flu-like illness.

These symptoms may disappear within a few weeks, but this does not necessarily mean that the infection has been cleared.

Over time, symptoms that may develop include:

• tiredness and fatigue
• flu-like symptoms
• pain in the abdomen where the liver is located
• not feeling hungry and indigestion.

Around 30% of people who have been infected may clear the virus from their blood naturally, with no treatment, within 6 months. These people no longer have the hepatitis C virus and are not infectious, but will always have hepatitis C antibodies in their blood. The presence of hepatitis C antibodies shows that someone has been exposed to the virus, but does not offer any immunity against hepatitis C. People can become reinfected after clearing the virus naturally, or after treatment.