Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. The most common types of hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is caused by the virus HCV. It can be acute or chronic. Acute hepatitis C is short term, occurring within 6 months of exposure. However, most acute hepatitis C does lead to chronic hepatitis C.
Transmission
The hepatitis C virus is transmitted by blood to blood contact. When the blood of an infected person enters another person, the virus is transmitted to the non-infected person.
Risk Factors
The risk factors are those which expose an individual to another's blood. The most common risk factor is injection drug use; some other factors are sex with an infected individual, blood transfusions before 1992, hemodialysis, and health care work.
Symptoms
Hepatitis C often has no symptoms. Symptoms of hepatitis C include abdominal pain, jaundice, fatigue, decreased appetite, flu-like symptoms, itching and--once it has progressed--ascites and bruising from cirrhosis.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of hepatitis C often does not occur until advanced liver disease occurs because there may be no symptoms. Hepatitis C is diagnosed with blood tests that look for HCV antibodies, which would likely indicate hepatitis C is present; RNA testing is used if no antibodies are present, yet hepatitis C is still suspected.
Treatment
Treatment for hepatitis C consists of a combination drug treatment of peginterferon (Pegasys or Pegintron) and Ribavirin. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
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