July 25, 1999

Hepatitis C (Part 1)

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus, which causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 people die each year from chronic hepatitis C disease. They also estimate that the number of deaths from hepatitis C is expected to triple within the next 10 to 20 years. The state of Texas has an estimated 300,000 people infected with hepatitis C and this figure is expected to increase as well.

How do you become infected with hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is spread through contact with infected blood and plasma products. A person can become infected with hepatitis C in several ways. The activity that poses the greatest risk for becoming infected with hepatitis C is injecting contaminated IV drugs. Contaminated IV needles allow hepatitis C to directly enter the bloodstream of a person. The risk of becoming infected with hepatitis C from a blood donation is very low because all blood products are now screened for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C can also be spread through sexual contact. The exact risk associated with this exposure route is not known, but the risk for hepatitis C infection increases with a greater number of sexual partners.

How do you diagnose hepatitis C? Diagnoses with hepatitis C is usually done from a blood test that screens for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus.

What happens to your body when you become infected with hepatitis C? A typical infection with hepatitis C usually goes unnoticed at first. You may feel a little under the weather with symptoms like loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Additional symptoms include fatigue jaundice (yellow eyes and skin). About 85 percent of persons infected with hepatitis C will develop chronic hepatitis C, which persists over a long period of time. The most common symptom of chronic hepatitis C infection is extreme fatigue. Approximately 70 percent of the people with chronic hepatitis C infection develop liver disease, which can advance to cirrhosis, liver failure and / or liver cancer.

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