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Hepatitis C: People
built 207 days ago
The Hepatitis C virus can infect people for long periods without causing obvious symptoms, but prolonged inflammation eventually damages the liver. Deaths from the disease could triple as old infections reach clinical stages.
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The practice of sharing contaminated needles during illicit IV drug use is presently the main route by which the hepatitis C virus is efficiently spread. There have been three decades of increasing levels of IV drug use in the U.S., mainly in the inner cities, and more heavily among African-Americans. Despite increased attention to the health hazards involved with sharing needles, the practice continues. Recent reports indicate that more than 85% of IV drug users are now infected by hepatitis C. About one-third of all people coming to inner-city hospitals have hepatitis C, though the disease is found to some extent in all social classes, all geographic locations, and in all age groups. From the large pool of infected IV drug users it may be spread by sexual contacts as explained above. It is ... transmitted from mother to child.
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For most people with hepatitis C, getting treatment is not an emergency. You do not have to rush into a decision. Treatment can decrease the risk of liver damage and even reverse liver damage in some people. It is important for you to weigh the pros and cons so that you make the best decision for yourself. Be sure to talk to your health care provider about when you should think about treatment, and about what type of treatment would be best for you.
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Hepatitis C (HCV) was discovered in 1988. While acute infection rarely causes symptoms, 80% of all hepatitis C infection results in chronic disease that lasts for more than 6 months. Remission can occur in up to 15% of people infected with HCV. It is a slow-developing disease that can lead to liver damage and liver cancer 30 years after infection. Four percent of infected people die from HCV disease.
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Hepatitis C infects about 25,000 people each year with most developing chronic infection. However, many of those with chronic hepatitis C do not even know they are infected. Those individuals with chronic infection are at risk for developing chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. Individuals who injected drugs are at highest risk for infection even if they injected only once many years ago.
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Coping with hepatitis C isn't easy. You may feel sad, scared or angry, or you may not believe you have the disease. These feelings are normal, but they shouldn't keep you from living your daily life. If they do—or if they last a long time—you may be suffering from depression. People who are depressed have most or all of the following symptoms nearly every day, all day, for 2 or more weeks:
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