What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a viral disease that affects your liver. It can result in mild short-term illness or chronic, lifelong infection.
Acute hepatitis C develops within six months of any exposure to the hepatitis C virus. In many cases, acute infection develops into chronic hepatitis C. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C can lead to potentially life-threatening health problems, including:
- Liver damage
- Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
- Liver cancer
More than half the people who contract acute hepatitis C go on to develop chronic hepatitis C.
How would I get hepatitis C?
You can catch hepatitis C from the blood of someone who already has the virus. Most hepatitis C cases affect people who share needles and other equipment when taking drugs. It’s also possible to get infected if you suffer a needlestick injury in a health care setting such as a hospital or clinic.
It’s also possible for mothers to pass on hepatitis C to their babies. Less common ways of catching hepatitis C include sharing personal items that could have blood on them, like toothbrushes or razors, or getting a body piercing or tattoo from an unregulated provider. Some cases of hepatitis C are sexually transmitted.
You can get hepatitis C more than once, so even if you’ve had it and recovered successfully, you could catch the disease again.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?
In most cases, acute hepatitis C causes few if any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they could include:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored stools
- Abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Joint pain
- Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)
Chronic hepatitis C typically causes no symptoms either. You might feel extra tired or depressed, but these are symptoms of many other conditions, too.
It’s not until you start experiencing liver problems that you might have noticeable symptoms. It can take many years – over 20 in some cases – for this to happen.
Many cases of hepatitis C come to light during routine blood screenings without the patient having any idea they’re infected.
How is hepatitis C treated?
There’s no specific treatment for acute hepatitis C. If you’re sick or know you have the infection, your doctor should monitor you to see if you recover or develop chronic hepatitis C.
If you do develop chronic hepatitis C, there are medications available that cure more than 90% of cases. Treatment involves taking oral medication for between eight and 12 weeks.
Infectious Disease Associates & Travel Medicine Clinic provides expert, up-to-date treatment for patients who have chronic hepatitis C and help you deal with any complications.
There’s no vaccine against hepatitis C, but to help protect your liver, you should have vaccinations against hepatitis A, especially if you travel outside the United States, and hepatitis B.
Call Infectious Disease Associates & Travel Medicine Clinic today if you need further information about hepatitis C or book an appointment online.
