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Hepatitis
Information & Prevention
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is a viral infection
that affects the liver, an organ that is located in the upper right
abdomen (under your right lower ribs). There are three common types of
hepatitis, known as hepatitis A, B, and C. The three types are
caused by different viruses which are spread differently and affect the
body differently. Hepatitis can affect males or females of all
ages and sexual orientations.
Hepatitis: Types at a Glance
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Type
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Spread by
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Vaccine
Available?
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Chronic Infection?
|
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A
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Feces
- Contaminated food
- Close contact with an infected person
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Yes
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No - infection usually clears within 2 months
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B
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Blood & bodily fluids
- Sexual contact
- Injected street drugs
- During childbirth
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Yes
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Chronic in about 20% of patients
- Can lead to liver cancer & cirrhosis
|
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C
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Blood & bodily fluids
- Sexual contact
- Injected street drugs
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No
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Chronic in about 80% of patients
- May take 30+ years for symptoms to appear
- Can lead to liver cancer & cirrhosis
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Hepatitis A & Hepatitis B: General
Information
The hepatitis A virus is found
in the stool (feces) of infected persons, while the hepatitis B virus is
found in the blood or body fluids of infected persons. Hepatitis A
and B can be prevented by vaccination. Unlike hepatitis C, they are more
likely to cause symptoms soon after infection and much less likely to
lead to a long-term (chronic) infection.
Hepatitis A is spread by eating
contaminated food or through close contact with someone who has the
disease.
Good
hygiene, such as careful hand washing, can reduce the risk of the virus
being passed on.
Once a
person is exposed to the virus it takes between 2 and 6 weeks to produce
symptoms.
The infection usually clears in up to 2 months, but may occasionally
recur or persist longer in some people. Once a person has been infected
and their body has fought off the virus, they are immune to the
disease.
Hepatitis B infection may also
occur without initial symptoms of disease. 20% of hepatitis B
infections can become long-term infections and lead to liver cirrhosis
or liver cancer. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood and
body fluids, and is easier to get from infected persons. Hepatitis
B is most commonly spread through unprotected sexual contact (not using
condoms), from exposure to blood or body fluids from close household
contacts that are infected, from mother to infant during birth, or
through injection drug use. Approximately 1.25 million persons are
chronically infected with hepatitis B, and there are around 40,000 new
infections each year in the United States.
Hepatitis A & Hepaptitis B: Get Vaccinated!
Vaccinations against
Hepatitis A and B are part of the routine vaccinations for children.
The CDC offers a
catch-up program for older children who never received these
vaccines.
If you are an adult and
have never been vaccinated for hepatitis, your primary care
physician can make recommendations based on your risk. For example,
you should be vaccinated for hepatitis A vaccine if you are planning
on traveling to parts of the world where hepatitis A virus
infections are common. Most patients diagnosed with Hepatitis C
should get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B. There is no
currently available Hepatitis C vaccine.
Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent infection by
hepatitis B and its serious consequences, including liver cancer and
cirrhosis. All unvaccinated adults at risk for hepatitis B infection
should be vaccinated. This includes:
- Sexual partners of people infected with
hepatitis B
- Men who have sex with men
- People who inject street drugs
- People with more than one sexual partner
- People with chronic liver or kidney disease
- People with jobs that expose them to human
blood
- Residents and staff in institutions for the
developmentally disabled
- Kidney dialysis patients
- People who travel to countries where
hepatitis B is common
- People with HIV infection
- Anyone else who wants to be protected from
hepatitis B infection
Sarasota
County Health Department can provide you vaccines against
hepatitis A and B.
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Hepatitis C: the Silent Epidemic
Hepatitis C is a virus. It is often referred to as
the “Silent Epidemic” virus because many people do not realize they have
the infection and do not have symptoms of the disease. It can be
undetected for more than 30 years and is often found when the liver
starts to fail or has other symptoms like abnormal liver enzymes (found
in a blood test), cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), or liver
cancer. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with human blood. The most
common ways people become infected are injected drug use, and before
1992 by receiving blood transfusions or blood products.
An estimated 4 million persons have been infected
with hepatitis C and 3.2 million have chronic hepatitis C in the
United States (i.e. have been infected
for several years or more). In Florida,
it is estimated that more than 150,000 people are living with chronic
hepatitis C, with more than 3500 in
Sarasota County.
If you have Hepatitis C, protect your liver!
If you have hepatitis C, take
the time to learn as much as you can about the disease and make the
right decisions for yourself and your family. It is important to
begin taking steps toward a healthier life and learn how to deal with
your hepatitis. Almost everything we eat, drink, smoke, swallow,
or absorb through our skin goes through the liver. The liver helps
the body to digest food and acts like a filter of poisons and other
toxic elements in the body. Eating a healthy, low-fat, low-salt
diet and drinking lots of water will help your liver do its job better.
Try to avoid these items: alcohol, cheese, fast foods, processed foods
(cookies, cakes, frozen dinners, packaged foods with long shelf lives),
fried foods, shellfish or raw fish, high doses of vitamins A, D, E or K,
taking herbs like peppermint, mistletoe, sassafras, nutmeg, or other
herbal supplements or high doses of acetaminophen (Tylenol or
non-aspirin pain relievers). If you have been diagnosed with
hepatitis, the most harmful substances to your liver are alcohol or
drugs. Persons with hepatitis should avoid alcohol and drugs.
Discuss your nutrition program with a health
care professional for more information.
Not everyone with hepatitis C will choose to get
treatment or need treatment, it depends on your type (“genotype”) of
virus, how long you have been infected, how much liver damage you have,
and other factors. Hepatitis C treatment is expensive and has side
effects that need to be monitored carefully by a health care
professional. The most common treatment is a combined therapy of
interferon (injection) and ribavirin (pill) for usually 6-12 months.
Chronic hepatitis B also has a few similar treatment options. Talk with
your health care professional and people who have tried the treatment to
help you make your decision. You may wish to join a local
hepatitis support group (see contact information below).
You don’t have to tell anyone you have hepatitis
until you are ready. If you choose to tell others, do so to gain
their support or because you think they might need to get tested for
hepatitis. You can not give Hepatitis B or C to others by hugging,
kissing, sharing eating or drinking utensils, or sharing a bathroom.
For more information on
hepatitis, please visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/
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Hepatitis Support
Groups
- Tampa Bay Hepatitis and
Liver Support Group in
Sarasota
Call (941) 921-2374, meets at SMH third Tuesday of every month from
7-9 pm
- Bay Area Hepatitis C in
Largo,
FL
Call (727) 323-6729, meets first Wednesday of every month at
7 pm
- Hepatitis C Support Group in
Port Charlotte
Call (941) 235-7212 for more information, meets first Tuesday of
every month at
7 pm
- Hepatitis C Support Group in
Naples
Call (239) 455-7149 for more information, meets second Friday of
every month at
7:30
pm
Additional hepatitis resources
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