Who is affected by hepatitis c

This may lead to either:. A healthy liver also helps manage how sugar is used in the body. Many people infected with HCV have no symptoms, especially in the acute stage. Some report general fatigue, fever, or nonspecific aches and pains. Most signs and symptoms are more noticeable if the disease becomes chronic. Hepatitis C treatments are costly, but can lead to undetectable viral loads — at which point a person is considered cured.

Learn how to manage your…. Rick Nash was diagnosed with hepatitis C when he was 12 years old. Find out what he wishes he knew when he was diagnosed and how he eventually reached…. Certain medications and supplements can cause more harm to your liver than good.

They can also interfere with your hepatitis C treatments. Learn which…. When you live with hepatitis C, it's important to take extra care of yourself and your liver to prevent complications. Find out how your diet…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. Share on Pinterest. Your liver. Digestive system. Central nervous system. Circulatory system. Integumentary system skin, hair, and nails.

Endocrine and immune systems. However, hepatitis is often caused by a virus. In the United States, the most common hepatitis viruses are hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis A , hepatitis B , and hepatitis C are liver infections caused by three different viruses. Although each can cause similar symptoms, they are spread in different ways and can affect the liver differently.

Hepatitis A is usually a short-term infection. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C can also begin as short-term infections, but in some people, the virus remains in the body and causes chronic long-term infection. There are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B; however, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, long-term illness.

Chronic hepatitis C can be a serious disease resulting in long-term health problems, including liver damage, liver failure, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death. It is the most common reason for liver transplantation in the United States. There were 15, deaths related to hepatitis C virus reported to CDC in , but this is believed to be an underestimate. More than half of people who become infected with hepatitis C virus will develop a chronic infection.

However, less than half of people who are infected with the hepatitis C virus clear it from their bodies without treatment. Experts do not fully understand why this happens for some people. In , a total of 3, cases of acute hepatitis C were reported to CDC. CDC believes the actual number of acute hepatitis C cases in was probably closer to 50, The hepatitis C virus is usually spread when someone comes into contact with blood from an infected person.

This can happen through:. Today, most people become infected with hepatitis C by sharing needles, syringes, or any other equipment used to prepare and inject drugs. Although uncommon, people can become infected when health-care professionals do not follow the proper steps needed to prevent the spread of bloodborne infections.

While uncommon, hepatitis C can spread during sex, though it has been reported more often among men who have sex with men. Hepatitis C can spread when getting tattoos or body piercings in unlicensed facilities, informal settings, or with non-sterile instruments.

People can get infected from sharing glucose monitors, razors, nail clippers, toothbrushes, and other items that may have come into contact with infected blood, even in amounts too small to see. Before widespread screening of the blood supply in , hepatitis C was also spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. Now, the risk of transmission to recipients of blood or blood products is extremely low.

Hepatitis C is not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.

You can be infected again even if you have cleared the virus or were successfully treated and cured. This is why people who currently inject and share needles, syringes, or other drug preparation equipment, along with those who receive maintenance hemodialysis, should be tested for hepatitis C on a regular basis.

Yes, but the risk of transmission from sexual contact is believed to be low. The risk increases for men who have sex with men and for people who have multiple sex partners, have a sexually transmitted disease, engage in rough sex, or are infected with HIV.

Research has not shown that hepatitis C is spread within licensed, commercial tattooing facilities. Unregulated tattooing and piercing occurring in prisons and other informal settings may put a person at risk of infection. Yes, but this does not occur very often. If hepatitis C virus is spread within a household, it is most likely a result of direct, through-the-skin exposure to the blood of an infected household member.

People who are coinfected are more likely to get cirrhosis as a result of their chronic hepatitis C infection. Of every infants born to mothers with hepatitis C, about six will become infected with the hepatitis C virus. However, the risk is greater if the mother has both HIV and hepatitis C. There is no evidence that breastfeeding spreads hepatitis C, so infected women can safely breastfeed their babies. However, women with cracked or bleeding nipples should stop nursing temporarily until their nipples have healed.

Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood, and not enough is known about whether this practice is safe. Infants born to HCV-infected mothers. Other groups who appear to be at slightly increased risk for hepatitis C are: People with high-risk sexual behavior, multiple partners, and sexually transmitted diseases.

People who snort cocaine using shared equipment. People who have shared toothbrushes, razors and other personal items with a family member that is HCV-infected. Are you at risk?