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Home > Educational Resources > Liver Disease Info > Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C

Explore this section to learn more about hepatitis C, including a description of the disease and how it's diagnosed.

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus, or HCV.

Between 15 to 40 percent of people who get hepatitis C are able to fight off the virus during the early, or acute, stage, usually within six months. Between 60 and 85 percent of patients cannot get rid of the virus and develop a long-term, or chronic, hepatitis C infection. People with chronic hepatitis C will have the disease all their lives unless they are successfully treated with antiviral medicines.

Chronic hepatitis C is a serious condition that damages the liver and can lead to potentially fatal liver diseases such as cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. One of the most common reasons for liver transplants is damage caused by hepatitis C infection.

More than four million Americans have been infected with hepatitis C; it is responsible for 8,000-10,000 deaths annually.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?

Most people with both acute and chronic hepatitis C have no symptoms from the disease. This is why hepatitis C may persist for years or even decades before it is discovered. When symptoms do occur, they may include fatigue, joint pain, itchy skin, muscle soreness, stomach pain and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).

What causes hepatitis C?

You can get hepatitis C if your blood comes into contact with blood from someone who already has the virus. The most common cause of transmission is the sharing of needles and other equipment used to inject illegal drugs. Less common causes of transmission include:

  • Sharing a razor, toothbrush or nail clipper with an infected person
  • Accidental exposure to infected blood among health care or public safety workers
  • Exposure to unclean tattooing or body-piercing instruments
  • Unprotected anal sex or exposure to multiple sex partners

In rare cases, hepatitis C can be spread from an infected mother to her child at birth. It cannot be spread by breast-feeding.

Before 1992 there was a risk of getting hepatitis C from blood transfusions. Now all donated blood is tested for HCV so there is almost no risk of getting the disease from blood transfusions.

How is hepatitis C diagnosed?

Hepatitis C is diagnosed by a blood test. However, blood tests conducted in routine physicals do not include tests for hepatitis C. This is why most people with hepatitis C don’t know they have the disease, especially since there may be no symptoms.

Some people discover that they have hepatitis C when they donate blood, because all donated blood is tested for HCV.

Others learn they have hepatitis C when they undergo blood tests for other medical problems. If the blood tests show persistently abnormal liver enzymes—a sign of liver damage—additional tests will be conducted to find the cause. These additional tests may reveal the HCV infection.

In patients with hepatitis C, a liver biopsy, in which a sample of liver tissue is removed and studied in a lab, may be necessary to determine how badly the liver has been damaged by the virus.

How is hepatitis C treated? Are there side effects from treatment?

If you have hepatitis C, the goal of treatment is to try and get rid of the virus in your body. If the virus is cleared, that can limit the damage done to your liver.

Your doctor will talk to you about starting treatment with antiviral medicines that may help get rid of the virus. The standard medicines for hepatitis C patients are called peginterferons and interferons. These two medicines are usually used together.

These drugs work for some, but not all, patients. Depending on the type of hepatitis C virus that you have, the treatment has a 40% to 80% chance of getting rid of the virus. For people infected with the most common type of hepatitis C (genotype 1) in the United States, treatment is successful in 50% of cases. (Studies show that African Americans have a much lower success rate with combination treatment—only 28%.)

These drugs have some potentially serious side effects. Most people being treated with interferon have flu-like symptoms early on. These side effects get better with time. Later side effects, however, may include tiredness, hair loss, low blood count, trouble with thinking, moodiness, and depression. Ribavirin can cause serious anemia, or low red blood cell count. In some patients, the side effects may be so serious that treatment must be stopped. Pregnant women should not be treated with these drugs at all.

It is important to discuss the pros and cons of hepatitis C treatment thoroughly with your doctor before you begin treatment. You should also tell your doctor about any side effects you experience during treatment.

If I’ve been diagnosed with hepatitis C, what questions should I ask my doctor?

  • “Do I have acute or chronic hepatitis C?”
  • “Should I receive hepatitis C treatment?”
  • “What are my chances of clearing the virus if I receive treatment?”
  • “What is the chance of me developing cirrhosis or liver cancer if I do not receive treatment?”
  • “What treatment do you recommend? What do I need to know about my treatment?”
  • “How long will I need to be treated? When can I expect to see the results from the treatment?”
  • “How will you assess whether the treatment is working for me?”
  • “What should I do if I have side effects? Is there anything I can take to help the side effects go away?”
  • “Do I have to stop drinking alcohol even if I only have a few beers or a glass of wine once a week?”
  • “How will my hepatitis C affect my family and friends?”
  • “Should I take any special precautions to avoid infecting others?”

If I have chronic hepatitis C, what can I do to help keep myself and others healthy?

With proper management, many hepatitis C patients can lead full and active lives. If you are infected with hepatitis C, you should:

  • Be under the care of a doctor who specializes in the liver.
  • Stay on any prescribed medications and keep all your medical appointments.
  • Get the hepatitis A and B vaccinations to protect you from another liver infection.
  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious meals, getting exercise, resting when you feel tired and avoiding alcohol and illegal drugs.
  • Use only drugs and supplements that your doctor has approved.
  • Consider joining a hepatitis C support group, either in your community or online. Your local American Liver Foundation chapter may be able to refer you a support group in your area.
  • Avoid spreading your blood to others. Don’t share razors, toothbrushes or nail clippers.

Who is at risk for hepatitis C?

Anyone who was exposed to the blood of an infected person is at risk of having hepatitis C. You should talk to a doctor about getting tested for the disease if you:

  • Ever used illegal intravenous drugs or cocaine
  • Received a blood transfusion or organ transplant prior to 1992, or a clotting factor made before 1987
  • Received long-term hemodialysis
  • Have persistently abnormal liver enzyme levels
  • Are a health care, emergency medical and public safety worker exposed to needle sticks or other sources of HCV-positive blood
  • Were born to an HCV-infected mother
  • Have had unprotected sex with multiple partners or have a history of sexually transmitted disease
  • Received tattoos or body piercings with unsterile needles, especially in an unregulated setting
  • Have household exposure, through the sharing of razors, tooth-brushes or other personal items with an HCV-infected person

What is the best way to prevent hepatitis C?

There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C, so the only way to avoid the disease is to avoid exposure to infected blood. Infection can be avoided by:

  • Not sharing needles for illegal drugs
  • Always using recommended safety precautions if you are exposed to blood at your job
  • Not engaging in risky sexual practices with people who may have hepatitis C
  • Not sharing personal hygiene items with infected household members or others

How can I get more information about hepatitis C?

You can visit the Web sites of the following organizations:

Page updated: October 24th, 2007