Viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, are a group of distinct diseases that cause the liver inflammation, and sometimes lead to serious liver damage. Each have different hepatitis symptoms and treatments. Some causes of hepatitis include drugs, alcohol use, or certain medical conditions, but in most cases, it’s caused by a virus. Laboratory tests can determine hepatitis types.
This disease spreads when people come in contact with the blood, open sores, or body fluids of someone who has the hepatitis virus, and many people have no symptoms during the initial infection. Some develop a rapid onset of sickness with vomiting, yellowish skin, tiredness, dark urine and abdominal pain. In these people, symptoms may develop years, even decades later, when liver damage occurs. Others develop symptoms between 2 weeks to 6 months after infection. The average time to develop symptoms is 6 to 7 weeks after acquiring the virus.
How do you get Hepatitis C? Everybody should know that Hepatitis C is a blood-borne illness, meaning it is transmitted via contact with infected blood. Usually the virus enters the body through a puncture wound on the skin, and also it is contagious. The most common way hepatitis C transmitted is via injection drug use. Sharing needles with someone who is infected can transmit hepatitis C. Health care professionals may contract the virus via needles tick injury. Prior to 1992, the U.S. blood supply was not screened the way it is today, so some people contracted hepatitis C from infected blood transfusions. Rarely, babies born to hepatitis C-infected mothers acquire the virus. Hepatitis C can also be spread by having sex with an infected person or sharing personal items (a razor or toothbrush) with someone who has the virus, but these cases are rare.
There is several blood tests for diagnosing Hepatitis C. The hepatitis C antibody test checks for antibodies (immune particles) that fight the virus. A “non-reactive” result means that antibodies to the virus are not detected. A “reactive” result means antibodies to the virus are present, but the test is unable to indicate whether the infection is current or from the past. Another blood test to assess the presence of hepatitis C genetic material (HCV RNA test) is available. The results of this test can help doctors determine whether hepatitis C infection is current or not. Additional blood tests can be used to determine the amount of virus in the body, known as a titer.
There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C. Research is ongoing to develop a vaccine against the virus. But vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B are available. There is a survey shows that about 15% to 25% of people who are infected with the hepatitis C infection clear the virus on their own. Scientists are still trying to determine why hepatitis C goes away in some patients, while others go on to develop symptoms. There is no cure for an active or chronic hepatitis C infection, but sustained virologic response (SVR) is the next best thing. Hepatitis C infection rarely recurs in those who have achieved SVR.