Hepatitis C: An Overview

Hepatitis: What you need to Know

Hepatitis A, B and C: More serious than you think

Viral hepatitis is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. Hepatitis A, B and C are the most common types and hepatitis D and E are the least common.

Hepatitis B, C and D can lead to severe illness, life-long disease, scarring (cirrhosis) of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer or even death. Hepatitis D occurs only with Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis A Virus (HAV)
About 35,000 people in the United States (U.S.) get HAV each year. HAV may make you very sick, but it usually goes away within six months.

HAV is spread from person to person by eating or drinking food or water that has HAV in it.

You may be at risk of getting HAV if you:

Travel to a place where food and water are not clean
Live in the same house with someone who has HAV
Have children who go to the same day care with someone who has HAV
Share dirty needles
Are a man who has sex with other men

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
About 78,000 people in the U.S. get HBV each year. About 1.2 million people in the U.S. have had HBV longer than six months. These people are known as carriers. Carriers need to see a doctor to get follow-up care. Mothers who have HBV can give it to their babies at the time of birth.

HBV is spread from person to person through blood or other body fluids.

You may be at risk of getting HBV from people who have it by:

Coming in contact with their blood or body fluids
Having unsafe sex with them
Sharing toothbrushes, razors, nail clippers or needles with them
Sharing ear piercing, body piercing or tattooing equipment with them

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)
Almost 4 million people in the U.S. have HCV and many are not aware of it. About 25, 000 people get HCV each year. Signs of the disease may show up quickly or may take 10-40 years before there are any signs of liver problems.

HCV is spread from person to person through blood.

You may be at risk of getting HCV from people who have it by:

Coming in contact with their blood
Sharing dirty needles with them
Having unsafe sex with them
Having received blood, blood products or organs before 1992

People with signs of hepatitis may:

Feel tired all the time
Have mild fevers
Have aching muscles or joints
Have an upset stomach
Have stomach pain
Have diarrhea
Throw up a lot
Have jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Have dark urine
Have light-colored stools
Not feel hungry

You cannot always look at someone and tell that she or he has hepatitis. The only way for people to know if they have hepatitis is to get a blood test. Talk to your doctor or nurse about what blood tests to get. Also, ask them if you should get the shots to keep you safe from getting the hepatitis A virus and the hepatitis B virus.

How you get hepatitis
Source of Infection	Hepatitis A	Hepatitis B	Hepatitis C
Food/Water	Definitely
Between family members	Definitely	Definitely	Rarely
Needle- stick injuries		Definitely	Rarely
IV drug use (shared needles)	Rarely	Definitely	Definitely
Transfusion/Hemodialysis before 1992	Rarely	Definitely	Definitely
Transfusion/Hemodialysis after 1992		Rarely	Rarely
Orally	Definitely	Rarely
Heterosexual activity		Definitely	Rarely
Male-to-male sexual activity	Definitely	Definitely	Rarely
Mother to child at birth		Definitely	Definitely
Body piercing or Tattooing		Definitely	Definitely

To protect yourself from getting hepatitis, you should:

Boil or cook your food and water, if you travel
Wash your hands before handling food
Wash your hands after using the restroom and after diaper changing
Avoid blood and body fluids
Practice safe sex
Avoid sharing anything that may have blood on it
Talk to your doctor or nurse about your risk and if blood tests are needed
Talk to your doctor or nurse about shots to prevent hepatitis A and B

For more information, call your doctor, your local health department or
1-888-76-SHOTS