Hepatitis C overview

#shorts #hepatitisc #overview Hepatitis C is a disease that causes inflammation and infection of the liver. This condition develops following the transmission of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The most common hepatitis types in the United States are hepatitis A, B, and C. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there’s no vaccine for hepatitis C, although efforts to create one are ongoing. Hepatitis C can be either acute or chronic. If you have symptoms of acute hepatitis C, they generally set in quickly and last only a few weeks. Chronic hepatitis C symptoms develop over a period of months or years and may not be apparent at first. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 71 million people around the world have chronic hepatitis C. Hepatitis C symptoms According to the WHO, approximately 80 percent of people with a new HCV infection don’t have symptoms. Still, some people report mild to severe symptoms. These include: fever dark urine loss of appetite abdominal pain or discomfort joint pain nausea jaundice The symptoms may not show up right away. Some may take anywhere from two to 12 weeks to appear. A person with an HCV infection can still transmit the virus even if they don’t have symptoms. Acute hepatitis C Acute infections occur within 6 months of coming into contact with the virus. These cases are typically mild, lasting only a few weeks. Chronic hepatitis C However, hepatitis C can become chronic more than half the time and maybe lifelong if left untreated. It can lead to long-term health problems, including liver damage and liver cancer. How do you get hepatitis C? HCV is transmitted through blood-to-blood contact with someone with an infection. You can contract the virus again even if you’ve had it before. It can be passed through: organ transplants sharing items like razors or toothbrushes sharing needles childbirth (passing from a mother with hepatitis C to her baby) contact if blood is exchanged getting a tattoo or a piercing with non-sterile equipment Prior to 1992, blood transfusions were considered a highly viable method of transmitting the hepatitis C virus. Due to medical advances in blood screening, the likelihood of transmission via this medical process has been significantly reduced. People who have a high risk for transmission with HCV include those who: had a blood transfusion before 1992 received an organ transplant before 1992 received clotting factor concentrates or other blood products before 1987 received hemodialysis treatment for a long period were born to a mother with hepatitis C had a partner who had hepatitis C have used needles that were used before Hepatitis C can’t be transmitted via: hugging kissing sharing food or eating utensils coughing a mosquito bite