Hepatitis C is caused by a virus ( medically abbreviated as HCV). This type of viral Hepatitis is different from the others in an important way. All patients with Hepatitis A and most with Hepatitis B develop an acute infection, recover completely, and develop antibodies that protect them from getting the disease again. However, the Hepatitis C virus is a 'quick-change' virus. Once inside the body, it changes its form to evade discovery and attack by the immune system. Hepatitis C patients do develop antibodies, but they are not curative or protective as in Hepatitis A or B. Hepatitis C antibodies may not completely remove the virus. Therefore, most people infected with the HCV virus will develop chronic Hepatitis. Nearly 80 per cent of the people who are exposed to the Hepatitis C virus become chronic carriers. HCV can cause chronic ( long-lasting) inflammation and scarring of the liver. It is generally considered to be among the most serious of Hepatitis viruses. New cases of HCV have declined by 80 percent in Western countries since blood banks began screening for the virus in 1992.
Signs and Symptoms
Normally, HCV produces no signs or symptoms in its earliest stages. When it does, they're generally mild and flu-like and may include slight fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, muscle and joint pains and pain in the right side of the abdomen.
Risk Factors
Hepatitis C is passed from person to person by blood. Some people never know how they were exposed to the virus. Below are the most common types of exposure :
Blood transfusion before 1992 (before 1992 tests for HCV were not available)
Intravenous drug use ( street drugs such as heroin and cocaine)
Snorting Cocaine ( inhaling cocaine)
Tattoos, body piercing.
Sharing razors, needles, nail clippers, toothbrushes.
Environmental or occupational exposure to infected blood
Healthcare workers, paramedics.
Infants born to HCV infected mothers.
High-risk sexual behaviour, multiple partners, and sexually transmitted diseases.
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