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Risk Factors for Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a virus that causes serious liver damage including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Symptoms may take years or even decades to appear. Some get symptoms earlier than others.
Most people with Hepatitis C contracted it either through a blood transfusion or by receiving a blood product (plasma, etc.) that was contaminated with Hepatitis C, or by sharing needles with intravenous drug users that were infested with Hepatitis C. Prior to 1990 blood could not be screened for HCV. Thanks to HCV testing with modern sensitive methods, the risk of acquiring Hepatitis C from blood transfusion is now less than 1%. The other people who acquire Hepatitis C include health care and laboratory workers that may get stuck with an infected needle or instrument, people receiving medical / dental procedures, people receiving hemodialysis, body piercing, sharing razors, toothbrushes, and nail clippers, or have had tattoos or manicures that were performed with poorly sterilized equipment. Hepatitis C can also be passed on mother to child which occurs 6% of the time according to the CDC, and as much as 12% according to other research. Infection may occur even more readily if the mother is also infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Most mothers walking around with Hepatitis C are asymptomatic. They walk around with Hepatitis C, have children, and it is years before they or the children are ever tested. Medical treatments available today are most effective when the virus is caught in its early stages. Unfortunately, many find out too late, and that is why 12,000 people are dying each year from liver failure caused by Hepatitis C.
Forty percent of all people with Hepatitis C are no current risk category and contracted the virus through unknown means. What this means is that we are all at risk for contracting Hepatitis C.
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