My Husband Has Hepatitis A Can I Get It

What Is Involved In A Liver Transplant

A liver transplant is considered necessary when the liver is damaged and cannot function or in some cases of liver cancer. Your liver is very important. It is responsible for many functions related to making sure that your body stays healthy and is able to digest foods.

You may be eligible for a transplant if you have chronic hepatitis B infection or some of the diseases that may result from it, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. You will have to complete testing and be evaluated before being approved for a transplant. It is likely that you will be placed on a waiting list while an appropriate organ is found.

Donated livers come from two types of donors: living and deceased. Because the liver can regenerate, it is possible to use part of a liver for transplant. The remaining sections in both the donor and the receiver will grow into livers of adequate size.

People who get liver transplants must take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. These drugs make you more susceptible to infection. However, liver transplants have become more successful over time and continue to improve.

How Is It Treated

To recover, you should eat a well-balanced, low fat diet, and make sure you rest and get some exercise. It is best to avoid alcohol and drugs, as well as sexual contact, until you are better. If you are using any other medicines, check with your doctor that they dont affect your liver.

There are vaccines available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These stop you getting the infection if the first place.

There are now some antiviral treatments for hepatitis C, so talk to your doctor about these.

Articles On Hepatitis C

• Living With Chronic Hep C

If you’ve just been diagnosed with hepatitis C, you may wonder how you got it and worry about passing on the virus to a loved one. If you’ve had the disease for a long time without knowing it, you could dwell on every little incident in the past where you might have accidentally exposed a family member to the disease.

It’s important to remember that hepatitis C isn’t easy to catch. If you take a few precautions, it’s almost impossible to pass on the disease to someone else.

Recommended Reading: Hepatitis C Antibody Negative Means

If I Get Tested For Hepatitis C And The Result Is Positive Do I Need Any Other Tests To Be Sure

When your provider wants to test you for hepatitis C, the first test you will have is the hepatitis C antibody . If this test is positive, it means you were infected with the hepatitis C virus at some point in the past. But this test alone is not enough. You will still need another test to confirm if you still have the hepatitis C virus in your system. About 1 out of 5 people who get infected with hepatitis C will be able get the rid of the virus on their own, without treatment, very early after their infection. So some people will have a positive antibody test, but a negative HCV RNA .

So, the second test that your provider should request is called hepatitis C virus RNA or HCV RNA test. There are several different tests available to check the HCV RNA. What matters is that if the RNA test is positive, then you do have chronic hepatitis C virus infection. If the RNA test is negative, then you may need to have this test again to be sure. If these RNA tests are all negative, then you no longer have hepatitis C infection and do not have chronic hepatitis C.

If your hepatitis C antibody test is positive, be sure that you get tested for hepatitis C RNA to find out whether the infection has become chronic or whether it has cleared. If the infection has become chronic, there are treatments your provider can prescribe to fight off the hepatitis C virus and keep your liver healthy.

Will Hepatitis Affect My Pregnancy Or Breastfeeding

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding can be infected with the same STIs and BBVs as people who are not pregnant or breastfeeding.

If you are infected with an STI or BBV during pregnancy it can cause serious health complications for both you and your baby. Complications can include:

• Infection in the uterus .
• Passing the infection to the baby causing health conditions.
• Miscarriage.
• Premature birth.

Hepatitis B and C can be passed on through blood from a pregnant person to a baby in the uterus , during delivery or during breastfeeding . Hepatitis is not passed on though breast milk.

If you have hepatitis during pregnancy, there are medications that can be used during pregnancy and after delivery to help reduce the chance of hepatitis infection in your baby.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and considering treatment for an STI or BBV, ask your doctor, nurse or midwife about the possible effects of the treatment or medicine on your baby or breastfeeding.

If you are planning a pregnancy or already pregnant, it is recommended you and your sexual partner/s have STI and BBV screening tests, even if you have been tested in the past. Hepatitis B and C testing are part of a routine antenatal screen. You can speak to your doctor, nurse or midwife for more information.

Recommended Reading: What Does Non Reactive Hepatitis B Mean

Contaminated Food And Water

Hepatitis A is most commonly passed on by eating food prepared by someone with the virus whose hands have not been washed properly. You can also get it by drinking dirty water and by eating raw or undercooked shellfish from dirty water.

You can protect yourself by:

• Washing your hands each time you go to the toilet, before you prepare or eat food, after coughing or sneezing, or handling rubbish or other dirty items.
• Peeling and washing all your fresh fruit and vegetables avoiding raw or undercooked meat and fish avoiding all drinks if youre not sure if theyre safe with or without ice.
• If tap water isnt safe and bottled water isn’t available, boil tap water before drinking it.
• People living in places with poor sanitation and hygiene are at a greater risk of hepatitis A infection. You may also be exposed to hepatitis A through your work, for example, sewage workers, staff in institutions where levels of personal hygiene may be poor , people working with animals that may be infected with hepatitis A and daycare centres.

How Is Hepatitis Treated

Hepatitis does not always require treatment. In many cases the hepatitis virus causes an acute infection that is cleared by your immune system. In other cases, antiviral medications can be taken to prevent the virus from multiplying, manage symptoms or clear the virus completely.

Hepatitis A is usually a short-term acute infection that is cleared by your immune system and does not require antiviral treatment.

Hepatitis B is usually cleared by your immune system. Chronic hepatitis B can be treated but not cured with antiviral medications.

Hepatitis C may be cleared by your immune system in the first year of infection in around 30% of people. Chronic hepatitis can be cured with antiviral medications in most people.

You can speak to your specialist, doctor or nurse for more information on treatment options.

It is recommended you avoid sexual contact or use barrier protection during acute hepatitis illness.

Don’t Miss: Home Remedies For Hepatitis C In Urdu

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

• Do I need treatment?
• What treatment is best for me?
• Will I need be hospitalized?
• Are there any medicines I should avoid taking?
• Are there foods I should avoid eating?
• Can I drink alcohol?
• How can I protect my family from getting hepatitis A?
• If Ive had hepatitis A, am I at higher risk of getting other types of hepatitis?
• Will I have permanent liver damage?
• How soon before I travel should I be vaccinated?

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.

Also Check: Hepatitis C Cdc Fact Sheet

My Partner Has Been Diagnosed With Hepatitis B Can Transmission Be Prevented By Vaccination

A hepatitis B diagnosis can be scary and confusing for both you and your loved ones, especially if you are unfamiliar with the virus. Hepatitis B is known to be sexually transmitted, and you may wonder how you can continue your relationship with someone who has been infected. The good news is that hepatitis B is vaccine preventable. This means that after you complete the vaccine series, you cannot contract hepatitis B through any modes of transmission you are protected for life!

However, it is important to remember that the vaccine willonly work if a person has not been previously infected. Therefore, it is necessary to take certain steps after your partners diagnosis to protect yourself from becoming infected.

The first step is to visit the doctor and get tested, even if you think that you do not have it. Since hepatitis B often has no symptoms for decades, testing is the only way to know your status. The doctor should perform the Hepatitis B Panel test a simple blood draw that shows hepatitis B surface antigen , hepatitis B surface antibody , and hepatitis B core antibody total . Looking at these three blood test results together will show if you have a current infection, have recovered from a past infection, or if you need to be protected through vaccination. Once you receive your results, this chart can help you understand what they mean.

Preventing Transmission through Vaccines:

How Can I Lower My Risk Of Getting Stis And Bbvs

You can lower your risk of getting STIs and BBVs by using barrier protection correctly during any type of sex and when sharing sex toys.

Barrier protection is not 100% effective at preventing STIs and BBVs.

You can also lower your risk of getting a BBV by:

• not sharing injecting equipment, razors, nail clippers
• only getting tattoos and piercing in regulated places
• talking to your doctor or nurse about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis if you are at risk of HIV exposure.

You can also lower your risk of getting an STI or BBV by both you and your sexual partners having regular STI and BBV testing. To get an STI or BBV test at Family Planning Victoria, see our clinics or you can book an appointment online.

Recommended Reading: Where Can I Get A Hepatitis B Booster

Who Gets Hepatitis A

Anyone can get hepatitis A, but certain persons are at increased risk of infection, including:

• Children and adults living in areas with increased rates of hepatitis
• Persons traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common
• Men who have sex with men
• Injecting and non-injecting drug users
• Sexual contacts of infected persons
• Household contacts of infected persons

How Do I Tell Someone I Have Hepatitis C

Informing someone that you have hepatitis C can be hard. Most people know little about this disease. You can start with how you found out about your diagnosis. It helps to be prepared with educational materials on HCV, and to be aware of the ways that people can and cannot be infected. For example, it is very rare for HCV to be transmitted during sex. Be sure to tell anyone who may be directly affected, such as:

You may want to encourage others to be tested for HCV if they have similar risk factors.

Read Also: What Is A Hepatitis Panel

What Treatments Are Available For Chronic Hepatitis B If Medications Dont Work

If you have advanced hepatitis B, you might also become a candidate for a liver transplant. This path does not always result in a cure because the virus continues in your bloodstream after a transplant. To prevent being infected again after your transplant, you may be prescribed hepatitis B immunoglobulin with an antiviral agent.

I Was At No Risk For Ever Having Hepatitis B

The following letter is written by a 35-year-old woman who contracted hepatitis B virus infection. This mother of three children, like at least one third of people who contract hepatitis B, had no known risk factors for HBV infection. We are printing her story because, as she says, “I hope my story helps convince people to get their children and themselves immunized. No one should have to go through what I went through.”The letter is as follows:1/6/99 ⢠REPORT #9Disclaimer:

You May Like: Can Hepatitis C Spread Through Saliva

Treatment Options For Hepatitis B

Acute hepatitis B usually doesnt require treatment. Most people will overcome an acute infection on their own. However, rest and hydration will help you recover.

Antiviral medications are used to treat chronic hepatitis B. These help you fight the virus. They may also reduce the risk of future liver complications.

You may need a liver transplant if hepatitis B has severely damaged your liver. A liver transplant means a surgeon will remove your liver and replace it with a donor liver. Most donor livers come from deceased donors.

What About Hiv

Being infected with hepatitis A does not increase the risk of transmission or acquisition of HIV. However, people who are HIV positive who become infected with hepatitis A may suffer from more severe hepatitis A symptoms and longer recovery times.

PHAC recommends that people who use drugs and HIV-positive men who have sex with men receive the hepatitis A vaccine.4

Also Check: How Does Someone Catch Hepatitis C

Who Is At Risk

Anyone who has not been vaccinated or previously infected can get infected with the hepatitis A virus. In areas where the virus is widespread , most hepatitis A infections occur during early childhood. Risk factors include:

• poor sanitation
• living in a household with an infected person
• being a sexual partner of someone with acute hepatitis A infection
• use of recreational drugs
• travelling to areas of high endemicity without being immunized.

How Do You Get Hepatitis

The different types of hepatitis virus are passed on in different ways.

Hepatitis A is passed on through faeces , from a person with hepatitis A, entering the mouth of a person not infected with hepatitis A. It is mainly when a person consumes food or drink contaminated with small amounts of infected faeces. Hepatitis A can also be passed on during the sexual practice of rimming .

Hepatitis B is passed on through blood and sexual fluids or vaginal fluids), from a person with hepatitis B entering the bloodstream of a person not infected with hepatitis B. It is mainly passed on during unprotected sexual contact or behaviours involving blood to blood contact such as sharing drug injecting equipment or sharp equipment , tattoos or body piercing. Infection through blood may also occur during needle stick injuries .

Hepatitis C is passed on through blood, from a person with hepatitis C, entering the bloodstream of a person not infected with hepatitis C. It is mainly passed on though sharing drug injecting equipment . It may also be passed on through sharing sharp equipment , tattoos, body piercing or needle stick injuries . Hepatitis C can be passed on during sexual practices that involve blood to blood contact. This risk is higher for people who are living with human immunodeficiency virus .

Hepatitis B and C can also be passed on from a pregnant person to a baby in the uterus , during delivery or during breastfeeding .

Read Also: How To Cure Hepatitis C Naturally

Risk Of Contracting Hepatitis C From Your Spouse

Hepatitis C, variously known as hep C or HCV, is the name given to the condition of severe inflammation and inflammation of the liver. The root cause behind this life threatening disease is over-consumption of alcohol. This gives rise to severe liver scarring or cirrhosis making the patient susceptible to hepatitis C. Now, being a highly contagious pathogen, hepatitis C virus can spread easily if the infected blood comes in contact with healthy blood through some means or the other.

One of the ways of acquiring hepatitis C virus without being overtly alcoholic is by coming in contact with an already infected person sexually. If the act of sexual intercourse is done without the use of condoms, the semen or the vaginal fluids may transfer the virus to the other person or there maybe bloodshed of a minor kind during the course of the act, through which also, the virus can spread.

Now ironically, a healthy person with a single sexual partner has a higher chance of developing hepatitis C infection than someone with multiple partners. This is because a monogamous person will tend to not use condoms much with his or her spouse as the level of comfort increases. In the case of a person with more than one partner, this normally would not be the case and would show a certain amount of inhibition.

More Articles :