Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C
virus (HCV). You may be at risk for hepatitis C and should contact
your medical care provider for a blood test if you:
- were notified that you
received blood from a donor who later tested positive for
hepatitis C.
- have ever injected illegal
drugs, even if you experimented a few times many years ago
- received a blood
transfusion or solid organ transplant before July, 1992
- were a recipient of
clotting factor(s) made before 1987
- have ever been on long-term
kidney dialysis
- have evidence of liver
disease (e.g., persistently abnormal ALT levels)
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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection occurs when blood (or to a lesser
extent, other body fluids such as semen or vaginal fluid) from an
infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. Injection
drug use is the major risk factor for HCV infection. About 3.9
million Americans have been infected with HCV and 2.7 million have
chronic HCV infection. Hepatitis C disproportionately affects people
of color: 3.2% of African Americans and 2.1% of Mexican Americans
are infected with HCV, compared to 1.5% of non- Hispanic whites.
These numbers underestimate the actual impact because they do not
include infections in prisoners or the homeless. In 2000, about
30,000 new infections occurred. Most of these infections occurred
among young adults 20-39 years old. |
Each year,
8,000 to 10,000 people die from the complications of liver disease
caused by hepatitis C. Chronic liver disease is currently the 10th
leading cause of death, and liver failure due to hepatitis C is the
leading reason for liver transplants. Annual health care costs and
lost wages associated with hepatitis-related liver disease are
estimated to be $600 million for hepatitis C.
Viral
hepatitis can be insidious. Frequently, symptoms of newly acquired
(acute) infection are mild or nonexistent, so people may not even be
diagnosed as having viral hepatitis. Those who do have symptoms
might experience “flu-like” symptoms, fatigue, nausea, pain in the
upper abdomen, and sometimes jaundice.
About 75%-85% of people with HCV infection are
unable to clear the virus and become chronically infected.
Many people with chronic infection –
70% of those with HCV infection – develop chronic liver disease, a
situation in which the virus damages the liver. The damage may
progress to severe disease, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, and
liver failure. This progressive liver disease usually develops
slowly over 20 to 30 years. Because symptoms are so frequently mild
or nonexistent, the majority of people with chronic HCV infections
do not know they are infected and can unknowingly transmit the virus
to others. For many, signs and symptoms appear only when liver
disease is advanced and treatments are less effective. |
Hepatitis C Index:
Hepatitis C Health Info
Hepatitis C Fact Sheet
Hepatitis C Infection in the USA
Hepatitis C - Prevention & Control
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