Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C (hep C) is a disease which is caused by a blood-borne virus. The viruses which cause hepatitis A and B are not related, and hepatitis C does not have the same symptoms as those.

“Hepatitis” is a Greek word meaning “bad liver,” and hepatitis C does make a person’s liver bad. Because the a bad liver does not cause any body discomfort, most people with hep C do not know that they have it.

Hep C has no cure or good treatment. There is no vaccine available for hep C.
symptoms
After a person gets hep C, usually nothing happens. After 2 weeks, a person might feel a slight cold, but most people do not pay attention to this. In about 30% of people, after 8 weeks, hep C leaves their bodies and they are naturally cured. Even if a person is cured, it is possible for them to get hep C again, and the next time, they might get it permanently.

70% of people exposed to hep C keep it for life. Still, they have no symptoms, but their liver inside them is being damaged. The damage might kill them in 40 years or not at all, if the person stays otherwise healthy and never drinks alcohol again. Not being able to drink any alcohol is the major change that people with hep C must make.

If a person has HIV and hep C, the liver damage will be much worse, and a person’s life will be shorter because of the liver damage. Still the damage will take decades in an otherwise healthy person.

spread

Hepatitis C spreads almost entirely through blood. Persons who share syringes are at high risk for contracting hep C.

About 20% of all hep C infections are caused by sex, but almost all of these only happen to people who already have another sexually-transmitted disease. Sometimes doctors do blood work for some illness unrelated to hepatitis and see that something about the liver is strange. They do more tests and find that a person has hep C. At this point, it is right for a doctor to test for HIV, because people with hep C very often also have HIV. Having one makes it likely that a person will contract the other.

A person with hep C should not share personal items like a toothbrush or razor. Although this is good practice for anyone with an illness, hep C spreads especially easy through these things. It is safe to kiss, touch, and live with a person with hep C. There is little risk of getting hep C through unprotected sex, unless the uninfected person has some other sexually-transmitted disease.

Persons with Hep C are at greatly increased risk for both contracting and spreading HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Having any other STD greatly increases the risk of contracting Hep C.
treatment
There is no good treatment for hep C and there is no vaccine.

Persons with hep C and no other disease usually do not need treatment, but they cannot ever drink alcohol again. They should inform their doctor of their condition because some medicines for things unrelated to hepatitis can harm the liver.

Persons with hep C and another STD should consult a doctor for advice about keeping the liver as healthy as possible.