Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver that causes both acute and chronic liver disease. Symptoms of hepatitis C may include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, jaundice, fatigue and loss of appetite. Symptoms also may be vague or nonexistent. Hepatitis C is transmitted to others through contact with blood and body fluids. This may occur from sharing contaminated needles, exposure to blood products prior to 1992, needle stick injuries to health care workers, children born to infected mothers and sexual contact with an infected person. Unfortunately, no preventative vaccine for hepatitis C existed as of June 2010.
Contaminated Needles
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports that 3.2 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C in the United States. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne pathogen, meaning its transmission occurs by coming in contact with an infected person's blood or body fluids. Sharing injection drug needles and related equipment is the primary cause of hepatitis C. In addition, healthcare workers may come into contact with the hepatitis C virus through accidental needle stick or sharps injuries during phlebotomy procedures or in the course of providing intravenous medications. All unsafe medical practices involving needles and sharps play a role in transferring the virus from an infected person to another patient.
Exposure to Blood Products
According to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse website, testing for hepatitis C was not available prior to 1992. For that reason, the virus may have been unknowingly passed from hepatitis C-infected people to those undergoing blood transfusions. Hemophiliacs receiving clotting factors for control of their blood disorder before 1987 also were at risk for infection.
Children Born to Infected Mothers
Transmission of hepatitis C from mother to infant occurs in less than 5 percent of reported cases, according to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse. The concentration of virus in the mother's blood and type of delivery influence the outcome. There is no reported association between breast feeding and infection.
Sexual Contact with Infected Persons
The CDC says hepatitis C transmission may occur through sexual contact, but the incidence increases when multiple sexual partners are involved and a history of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases exists. Statistics indicate hepatitis C-infected patients in stable, monogamous relationships are significantly less likely to transmit the disease to their partners.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Viral Hepatitis: Hepatitis C:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Hepatitis C Information for Health Care Professionals;
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Injection Drug Users and Viral Hepatitis:
- National Digestive Disease Information Clearing House:Chronic Hepatitis C: Current Disease Management:
