Don't Be in the Dark About Hepatitus C

The illness can lurk in the body for decades with no symptoms. In fact, up to 70 percent of people with the disease don't even know they have it. In Texas, more than 300,000 people are infected.

It's hepatitis C, and it's at epidemic proportions. That's why it's so important to get all the facts on the disease and get tested. The physicians of Texas Medical Association urge you to be aware of the risk factors for hepatitis C, get tested if you are at risk, and protect yourself from exposure to the disease.

Hepatitis C, like all forms of hepatitis, affects the liver. About 15 percent of those with the virus eventually get well. The other 85 percent develop a chronic infection that may or may not have symptoms. Many people make the mistake of believing that if they have no symptoms, they don't have the illness or the illness is mild, but that's not true, says Dr. Diane Simpson, a physician with the Texas Department of Health.

"Don't let that fool you," Dr. Simpson says. "You can still have it. That's why people at risk need to be tested."

You are at highest risk for hepatitis C if you are or have ever used illegal intravenous drugs or cocaine. "People who have ever injected drugs, even many years ago, even if it was only once, must be tested," Dr. Simpson says.

It only takes one exposure to a contaminated needle to infect you with the virus.

Also, if you have multiple sexual partners now or have in the past, you are at risk, especially if you did not use a latex condom. Up to 20 percent of new infections can be attributed to high-risk sexual behavior. There appears to be little risk of hepatitis C transmission in a monogamous, long-term sexual relationship, even if one partner has the virus.

Another risk factor is receiving a blood transfusion or a transplanted organ before 1992. More reliable tests to screen out blood and organ donors with hepatitis C have been developed since 1992, virtually eliminating any risk of contracting the virus from a donor. But if you received blood or an organ before that time, you need to be tested. Blood banks and transfusion services within the next couple of years will send out letters informing those who received transfusions between 1988-1992 that they may have received hepatitis C-contaminated blood.

Receiving such a letter does not mean that a person has the virus, but it does mean that person must be tested as soon as possible. You also may need to be tested if you have received dialysis, or if you have received blood clotting factors, which are given to people with conditions that inhibit blood clotting. And if you are a health care worker who was exposed to blood, you too may be at risk and need to be tested. It is possible to be infected with hepatitis C through sharing razors or toothbrushes with infected individuals, but transmitting the virus through these means is rare. It also is possible, but not common, for a pregnant woman to pass the virus to her child.

These lesser risks exist, but nothing puts a person at greater risk than intravenous drug use. "It's the most common way people get hepatitis C," Dr. Simpson says.

It's important to remember that you can't get the virus from hugging, holding hands or kissing someone who is infected.

There's no need to be frightened of people with hepatitis C. You only need to protect yourself against the known risks for getting the virus. If you are using intravenous drugs, stop. If you don't stop, use a sterile, unused needle. Remember that abstinence is the best protection from contracting hepatitis C from sex. But if you must be sexually active with multiple partners, use a condom.

Putting yourself at risk can have serious consequences. Seventy percent of those infected with hepatitis C develop chronic liver disease. Many of these people eventually will need liver transplants. About 8,000 to 10,000 people die from chronic liver disease each year.

- From Texas Medical Association

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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