Topic Resources
Acute hepatitis C is
inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus and
that lasts from a few weeks up to 6 months.
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Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood or other bodily fluids of infected people, as occurs when people share unsterilized needles to inject illicit drugs.
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Acute hepatitis C often causes no symptoms
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Doctors diagnose acute hepatitis C based on blood tests.
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No vaccine is available.
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Often, no specific treatment is recommended for acute hepatitis C.
In the United States, almost 3,000 cases of acute hepatitis C
were reported in 2016. However, because many cases are not recognized or
not reported, the actual number of new infections was estimated to be
over 41,000 in 2016.
For unknown reasons, about one of five people with alcoholic liver disease has hepatitis C. In these people, alcohol and hepatitis C work together to worsen inflammation and scarring of the liver (cirrhosis).
Transmission of hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is usually spread through contact with blood of an
infected person. Hepatitis C is most commonly transmitted among people
who share unsterilized needles to inject illicit drugs. The infection
can also be transmitted through unsterilized needles used for tattoos
and body piercings.
Transmission through blood transfusions or organ transplants is
possible but is now rare. Such transmission was common in the United
States until 1992, when widespread screening of the blood supply for the
hepatitis C virus began.
Transmission through sexual contact is uncommon, as is transmission from an infected pregnant woman to her baby.
Why someone gets hepatitis C sometimes cannot be determined.
Symptoms
At first, acute hepatitis C is usually mild and often causes no
symptoms. Most people with acute hepatitis C are unaware that they are
infected.
Some people with acute hepatitis C have typical symptoms of viral hepatitis. These symptoms include
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Loss of appetite
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A general feeling of illness (malaise)
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Fever
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Nausea and vomiting
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Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
Hepatitis C becomes chronic in about 75% of people. Chronic
infection is usually mild. However, over time, about 20 to 30% of people
with chronic hepatitis C develop cirrhosis. Liver cancer may develop but usually only after cirrhosis has developed.
Diagnosis
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Blood tests
Doctors suspect acute hepatitis C when
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People have symptoms of acute hepatitis.
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Blood tests (liver tests) detect inflammation of the liver (hepatitis).
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People have risk factors for getting hepatitis C.
Testing usually begins with blood tests to determine how well the liver is functioning and whether it is damaged (liver tests). Liver tests involve measuring the levels of liver enzymes and other substances produced by the liver.
If tests detect liver abnormalities, other blood tests are done
to check for hepatitis virus infection. These blood tests can identify
parts of specific viruses (antigens), specific antibodies produced by the body to fight the virus, and sometimes genetic material (RNA or DNA) of the virus.
Blood tests are done to look for other causes of hepatitis.
The presence of antibodies to hepatitis C suggests that people
have been infected with hepatitis C at some time in their life but are
not necessarily still infected. If antibodies to hepatitis C are found,
the hepatitis C RNA test is done to determine whether the infection is
current or occurred in the past. Having antibodies to hepatitis C does
not protect people from getting hepatitis C. (In contrast, having
antibodies to hepatitis A and hepatitis B does protect against future
infection with these viruses.)
Prevention
High-risk behavior, such as sharing needles to inject drugs, should be avoided.
All blood donors are tested for hepatitis C to prevent the spread
of hepatitis C virus through transfusions. Also, even though the chance
of getting hepatitis from transfusions is remote, doctors use
transfusions only when there is no alternative. These measures have
dramatically decreased the risk of getting hepatitis from a blood
transfusion.
No vaccine for hepatitis C is currently available.
Treatment
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General measures
Acute hepatitis C is not routinely treated with antiviral drugs
because the infection goes away on its own, without treatment, in about
one fourth of people who have it.
The same drugs used to treat chronic hepatitis C
may reduce the risk of acute hepatitis C becoming chronic. However,
such treatment has not been well-studied and is expensive. So doctors
typically wait 6 months to see if hepatitis goes away on its own. If it
does not, treatment is considered.
People with hepatitis C should not drink alcohol because it can
damage the liver further. There is no need to avoid certain foods or to
limit activity.
Most people can safely return to work after jaundice resolves.
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