What Is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
HCV can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, or chronic liver disease (cirrhosis).
HCV infections are a leading reason for liver transplants in the United States.
Some people with HCV have just a short-term illness because their bodies can get
rid of the virus. But most infected people (70%–85%) develop a chronic (long-lasting)
HCV infection.
How Do People Get Hepatitis C?
HCV spreads by direct contact with an infected person's blood
and other body fluids. This can happen through:
- sharing drug needles and intranasal (snorting) drug devices
- getting a tattoo or body
piercing with unsterilized tools
- sexual contact (although this is less common)
- passing of the infection from a pregnant woman to her unborn child
Thanks to blood screening and other health care safety rules adopted in the early
1990s, the spread of HCV from hemodialysis,
blood transfusions, or organ transplants
is now rare.
It's also rare, but possible, for someone to get HCV by sharing household items
that might contain an infected person's blood, such as razors, toothbrushes, or scissors.
Who Is at Risk for Hepatitis C?
HCV is more common in adults than in kids. Rates of HCV infection in the United
States almost tripled from 2010 to 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
Most of these new infections are in young adults (20 to 29 years old) who inject
drugs. Many of them went from abusing prescription
drugs to injecting heroin, which often
is cheaper and easier to get. Health experts worry that more newborns will be at risk
for HCV because so many young women are part of this group.
What Is Chronic Hepatitis C?
Doctors refer to hepatitis C infections as either acute or chronic:
- An acute HCV infection is a short-term illness that clears within
6 months of when a person is exposed to the virus.
- A person who still has HCV after 6 months is said to have a chronic hepatitis
C infection. This is a long-term illness, meaning the virus stays in the
body and can cause lifelong illness. An estimated 3.2 million people in the U.S. have
chronic HCV.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of HCV Infection?
Most people with HCV have no symptoms. But even without symptoms, they can develop
health problems decades later and can still pass the disease to others.
If symptoms do happen, it's usually when the disease is very advanced. Symptoms
can be similar to those of hepatitis
A and hepatitis B and include:
- jaundice (when the skin and whites of the eyes look yellow)
- fever
- nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite
- belly pain (on the upper right side)
- joint pain
- darker than usual urine (pee) or gray-colored stools
What Problems Can Hepatitis C Cause?
Hepatitis C is the most serious type of hepatitis. It's now one of the most common
reasons for liver transplants in adults. Every year, almost 20,000 people in the United
States die from HCV.
Fortunately, medicines can now treat people with hepatitis C and cure them in most
cases.