Hepatitis C Virus (HCV): Information for Providers

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Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Information for Providers
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US Hepatitis C

• Estimated 1.6 of US infected
• Causes 40 - 60 chronic liver disease
• 10,000 - 20,000 deaths/yr
• Most common reason for liver transplantation

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Hepatitis C Infections by Age Sex
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HCV Risk Factors

• Injecting illegal drugs, even if only once
• Sharing needles and drug preparation tools
• Blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992

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HCV Risk Factors

• Long-term hemodialysis
• Sexual transmission
• Occupational exposure, i.e. healthcare workers
• Infants born to HCV infected mothers

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Possible Transmission Routes

• Tattoos
• Piercings
• Shared household items
• Coke straws and crack pipes
• lt10 of routes cannot be identified

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Injecting Drug Use and HCV

• Virus spreads easily with blood-blood contact
• More easily than HIV and HBV
• Rapidly acquired after people start injecting
• Four times more common than HIV
• 60-90 of injectors have it after 5 years of
  injecting

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Hepatitis C Risk Factors
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Hepatitis C Risk Factors
Sexual 15
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Hepatitis C Risk Factors
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Sexual Transmission of Hepatitis C

• Men who have sex with men (MSM) at no higher risk
  than heterosexuals
• From studies
• 1.5 infection in long-term partners
• Study in Italy 0 after 10 years

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Different Mixes of Risk Factors
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Comparison with HIV
Hepatitis C
HIV
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Co-Infection

• HCV is the most common cause of death in HIV ()
  people
• HIV plus HCV more HCV in blood, faster
  progression

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Who should be tested for HCV?

• Anyone who
• Ever injected illegal drugs
• Received clotting factors made before 1987
• Received blood/organs before July 1992
• Has ever been on long-term hemodialysis
• Has evidence of liver disease
• Infants born to infected mothers

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Who Should Not be Tested for HCV?

• Healthcare, emergency, public safety workers
• (exception recognized exposure)
• Pregnant women
• Household (non-sexual) contacts of HCV persons
• The general population