Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms. In fact, most people don't know they have the hepatitis C infection until liver damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests.
Hepatitis C is one of several hepatitis viruses and is generally considered to be among the most serious of these viruses. Hepatitis C is passed through contact with contaminated blood — most commonly through needles shared during illegal drug use.

Symptom
Hepatitis C infection usually produces no signs or symptoms during its earliest stages. When signs and symptoms do occur, they're generally mild and flu-like and may include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Nausea or poor appetite
• Muscle and joint pains
• Tenderness in the area of your liver

When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any signs and symptoms that worry you.

Causes
Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is spread when you come in contact with contaminated blood.

Examples of how HCV can be spread include:

• Blood transfusions and organ transplants before 1992. Improved blood-screening tests became available in 1992. Before that year, it was possible to unknowingly contract hepatitis C through a blood transfusion or organ transplant.
• Shared needles. HCV can also spread through sharing contaminated needles when injecting drugs.
• Childbirth. A small number of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C acquire the infection during childbirth.
• Sexual contact. In rare cases, HCV may be transmitted sexually.

Risk Factor
Your risk of hepatitis C infection is increased if you:

• Are a health care worker who has been exposed to infected blood
• Have ever injected illicit drugs
• Are HIV-positive
• Received a piercing or tattoo in an unclean environment using unsterile equipment
• Received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992
• Received clotting factor concentrates before 1987
• Received hemodialysis treatments for a long period of time
• Were born to a woman with a hepatitis C infection

Complication:
Hepatitis C infection that continues over many years can cause significant complications, such as:

• Scarring of the liver tissue (cirrhosis). After 20 to 30 years of hepatitis C infection, cirrhosis may occur. Scarring in your liver makes it difficult for your liver to function.
• Liver cancer. A small number of people with hepatitis C infection may develop liver cancer.
• Liver failure. A liver that is severely damaged by hepatitis C may be unable to function.

Testing:
Blood tests to diagnose hepatitis C
Blood tests may help to:

• Determine whether you have the hepatitis C virus
• Measure the quantity of the hepatitis C virus in your blood (viral load)
• Evaluate the genetic makeup of the virus (genotyping), which helps determine your treatment options

Testing samples of liver tissue to determine severity of liver damage
Your doctor may also recommend a procedure to remove a small sample of liver tissue for laboratory testing. A liver biopsy can help determine the severity of the disease and guide treatment decisions. During a liver biopsy, your doctor inserts a thin needle through your skin and into your liver to remove the tissue sample.

About Viruses:

• Viruses Life Cycle
• Blog Viruses
• Viruses Characteristic