Hepatitis B vaccine is available for all age groups to prevent hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). You may be at risk for hepatitis C and should contact your medical care provider for a blood test if you:

were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C. have ever injected illegal drugs, even if you experimented a few times many years ago received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before July, 1992 were a recipient of clotting factor(s) made before 1987 have ever been on long-term kidney dialysis have evidence of liver disease (e.g., persistently abnormal ALT levels)

New Hepatitis C Drug Looks Promising
The 4 million Americans affected by Hepatitis C may have some good news coming to them today: Vertex Pharmaceuticals' experimental drug, telaprevir, has performed even better than expected in clinical trials. Three quarters of patients in the trial who got 12 weeks of the drug were found to have no trace of the virus in their blood for 24 weeks following treatment. This is considered a sustained virulogic response and the closest thing to a cure that currently exists. "The community hopes that if telaprevir is approved by the F.D.A. that it will be accessible and affordable to everyone," Lorren Sandt, chairwoman of the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, told the New York Times. As of now, the drug is expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars for a course of treatment. New Hepatitis C Drug Looks Promising originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 12:40:36.Permalink | Comment | Email this

Tour Your Immune System
Your immune system is a collection of organs and cells that work together to defend your body against harmful bacteria and viruses. One of the most fascinating abilities of a properly functioning immune system is that, while defending against dangerous pathogens, it can determine between what is supposed to be in the body and what is foreign and should be attacked. For people infected with a hepatitis virus, your immune system should be working to rid the virus from your body. Here's a short tour of the immune system, stopping to look at--and learn about--each organ along the way.Tour Your Immune System originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 22:39:24.Permalink | Comment | Email this

Tour Your Digestive System
Since this is a hepatitis site, naturally, there is a focus on the liver. However, the liver is very interconnected with other body systems--particularly the digestive system. If you've ever wondered what your liver does, and for that matter, what the other organs of the digestive system do, here's your chance to take a picture by picture tour. For this tour, I've found nine images that feature some part of the digestive system and described each one. Ready? Enter the gallery.Tour Your Digestive System originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 22:51:35.Permalink | Comment | Email this

Hepatitis C and the Silent Infection
Your body can tell you if something is wrong, but you first need to understand its language. Unfortunately, this is a language you can't learn from Rosetta Stone, Berlitz or Pimsleur. This is the language of signs and symptoms, but, in the case of hepatitis C, often there's not much of either. It's a startling fact, but according to some studies, up to 70% of people with hepatitis C infection won't have any symptoms--especially in the earliest stages of infection. This means that most people with acute hepatitis C won't even realize they're infected. While checking out hepatitis symptoms is a popular Internet search, people's time would be better spent learning about how hepatitis C spreads and what risk factors they might have that increases their chances of exposure. By now, some people might be focusing on the remaining 30%. What are their symptoms? Well, this won't be much help either. The symptoms of acute hepatitis C can be very generalized. In the early stages of infection, symptoms are usually vague: fatigue, muscle and joint aches, loss of appetite and headaches. Together these are known as flu-like symptoms, and for most people, these don't scream "Hey, you might have hepatitis!" That leaves us with jaundice, the classic symptom of hepatitis, and maybe its best known one. However, here again, many people with acute viral hepatitis never experience it. If it is present, it doesn't mean it's viral hepatitis (other diseases can cause jaundice); besides, it might be possible to have very mild jaundice and not even realize it! This lack of symptoms has given hepatitis C the nickname of silent killer. It's estimated that approximately 19,000 people in the United States become infected with hepatitis C every year. Of these, as many as 85% will become chronically infected, and some of these people won't know they're infected until some unrelated doctor's visit. While chronic hepatitis C isn't a death sentence, it definitely increases the risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer. So, learn about hepatitis C risk factors before you're infected and make sure you take prevention seriously. And, one more thing. Spread the word about hepatitis C to your friends. Hepatitis C might be silent, but you don't need to be.Hepatitis C and the Silent Infection originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 23:28:32.Permalink | Comment | Email this

There's More to Hepatitis Than HCV
There's more to hepatitis than hepatitis C. To many people, it's not worth the time to sort out the ABCs of hepatitis soup: if you have hepatitis then you must have hepatitis C. However, just like all facial tissues aren't Kleenex and all adhesive bandages aren't Band-Aides, all hepatitis isn't hepatitis C. There are different types of hepatitis and it turns out that inflammation of the liver has many causes. Maybe the cause of this confusion comes from viral hepatitis and its use of letters to name the different viruses. There are five viruses, each named after the first five letters of the alphabet. It's tough enough to keep these straight especially since these viruses are alike in many ways. However, there are striking differences. For example hepatitis A and E are spread through infected feces. Hepatitis B, C and D are spread through infected blood and possibly other body fluids. Many people know about the risks of infected body fluids. This might explain why hepatitis is associated with being infectious, but it's not true for all types. For example, autoimmune hepatitis, which is caused by the immune system attacking the liver, can't be stopped with all the prevention in the world because genetics are probably invovled. Likewise, drinking large amounts of alcohol can lead to the same liver inflammation that viruses can cause, but no matter how close you sit to someone knocking back one shot after another, you won't catch alcoholic hepatitis. Finally, consider drug-induced hepatitis. This is liver inflammation caused by too many drugs or other toxins overwhelming the liver. Sometimes the effects of overdose can be reversed, but sometimes, the assault is too great and liver damage results. And, yet, there's not much stigma attached to Tylenol. There are others to mention, but the point is to realize that hepatitis has many causes, not just viral; and of the viral causes, there are more than just hepatitis C. For a good summary, check out Types of Hepatitis: Understanding the Different Causes.There's More to Hepatitis Than HCV originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 23:59:24.Permalink | Comment | Email this

HCV Lingers in Certain Syringes
A new study suggests that certain types of needles can allow the hepatitis C virus to stay viable for a longer period of time. Researchers found that the virus can survive for nine weeks in tuberculin syringes that have detachable needles. This is far longer than in insulin syringes with attached needles. The study, conducted by scientists from the Yale School of Medicine, may lead to new approaches in hepatitis C prevention. More information on this research is available in the official press release.HCV Lingers in Certain Syringes originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 23:55:32.Permalink | Comment | Email this

Sex and Hepatitis
Can you get hepatitis from having sex? Yes, you can; however, there are significant differences in how each of the five viruses are spread and their risk of exposure during sex. Some viruses are more likely to spread from sexual contact than others, so make sure you're prepared. Of course, the best preparation is vaccination and practicing safe sex (and other prevention strategies). It's all explained in What You Should Know about the Spread of Hepatitis from Sex.Sex and Hepatitis originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 23:28:51.Permalink | Comment | Email this

Liver Cancer Risks
This past week health educators around the world raised awareness of cancer and its many types and causes for World Cancer Day. While hepatitis doesn't usually leap to the front of people's mind as a serious cancer concern, here are some statistics of interest for people with chronic hepatitis. Did you know: If you are a carrier of the hepatitis B or hepatitis C viruses, you have 20 times risk of developing liver cancer. Worldwide, most liver cancer is caused by two hepatitis viruses (HBV and HCV). Acute hepatitis C infection is often not diagnosed, but can lead to many serious problems, including liver cancer. Liver cancer is rarely curable and, worldwide, people often live less than six months after being diagnosed. Fortunately, liver cancer from hepatitis viruses can be prevented with a combination of lifestyle changes and vaccination. Right now, millions of people around the world are living with a disease that can easily be prevented and each year, millions more become infected. With all that's at stake, we can no longer leave this to professional health educators. Get involved with your friends and loved ones by being a source of education and awareness. Help spread the word about liver cancer.Liver Cancer Risks originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 22:10:29.Permalink | Comment | Email this

Have Hepatitis? Start Living Better Now!
Don't put off making healthful lifestyle changes. Right now is the best time to start living better and improving your liver's health--especially if you're living with hepatitis. Here are four to avoid and four to start doing--eight changes that you can make today. Avoid Alcohol. Avoid Smoking. Avoid Unnecessary Drugs. Avoid Unnecessary Contact with Chemicals. Start Eating a Well-balanced Diet. Start Exercising Regularly. Start Looking for a Good Doctor. Start Getting Vaccinated. Sure, these will be common sense to some people, but you'd be surprised how many folks struggle with these basic changes. Read more about each one to learn why they can help you live better with hepatitis.Have Hepatitis? Start Living Better Now! originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 00:39:30.Permalink | Comment | Email this

The Stigma of Fatigue
One of the most bitter complaints people have about living with chronic hepatitis is that they always feel so tired. This is especially common during treatment. Of course, everyone gets tired and usually this just means it's time to slow down and go to bed a little earlier each night. But heppers talk about a tiredness that never seems to end. Imagine how you feel after the end of a long day spent mostly on your feet working hard, with few breaks. Now, imagine feeling this way after you've just woken up--after a good night's rest. It's almost like sleeping had no effect, and yet, many heppers talk about feeling just this way. Talking about fatigue is hard for people with hepatitis because everyone knows what it feels like to be tired. "So, you're tired," someone might say. "Just take it easy for a while." But it's hard to describe the intensity of fatigue that chronic hepatitis can bring and especially hard trying to convince people (without hepatitis) that just "taking it easy" doesn't do the trick. An interesting study in the Journal of Clinical Nursing tried to document just how tired heppers feel. Here are some of the responses (paraphrased): It feels like you're coming out of an anesthetic. It feels like you're weighed down with concrete. It's a tiredness you can't fight. It's an exhaustion that makes you feel defeated. It feels like your body breaks down. You feel that your body isn't your own. You want to do things but you can't. It takes 2-3 hours just to get going in the morning. Many heppers would appreciate other people trying to understand what they're going through--and some seem to be affected more seriously and go through so much more than others. A good place to start is realizing that when they say they're tired, it's not from laziness or boredom. It's a feeling so deep that some describe it as "a heaviness where you feel your body will collapse under its own weight" (from article cited above). Unfortunately, at this time, there's not a lot that can be done about fatigue. However, here are some tips worth trying that may help mild fatigue and offer some relief.The Stigma of Fatigue originally appeared on About.com Hepatitis on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 16:49:08.Permalink | Comment | Email this