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Health Conditions
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Hepatitis C
What are the risk factors?
Mainly, HCV is passed from one individual to another through sharing injectable drug needles with an infected person and through receiving contaminated blood products. A much smaller chance exists that it may also be transferred in bodily secretions, such as semen. The risk for infection with HCV is increased for individuals who:
- are born to mothers who have HCV(a 4% chance of transmission from mother to child and a 19% chance of transmission if the mother also has HIV)
- had contact with high-risk individuals more than 6 months before the onset of symptoms
- have ever injected illicit or street drugs (even only once or many years ago)
- have HIV or AIDS
- have sexual contact with an infected individual (this occurs very rarely)
- live in poor socioeconomic conditions
- received transfusions of blood or blood products (especially before July 1992)
- require long-term kidney dialysis
- used blood-derived clotting factors before 1987
- work in health care facilities where they may be exposed to blood
- have liver disease
- getting a tattoo or body piercing in unsanitary conditions
- using a razor or toothbrush of an infected person
Illegal injectable drug use (such as heroin) accounts for about 60% of new HCV infections in the United States. In approximately 10% of HCV infections, the source of exposure is unknown.
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Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.
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What are the risk factors?
