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Of the three types of hepatitis covered in this website, hepatitis C is seen as the most harmful. Most people who get hepatitis C don’t clear the infection from their body and they stay infectious to others (unlike hepatitis A and B which the big majority of people quickly recover from). And unlike hepatitis A and B, there’s no vaccination against hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C can go undiagnosed for many years as it often causes no obvious symptoms but it can do serious damage such as liver cancer or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), leading to a liver transplant or death. Treatment for the disease lasts a long time and often doesn’t work.
The main way the hepatitis C virus spreads in the UK is in blood and the infection is common among people who have shared needles, syringes, filters, etc. when injecting drugs. It seems rare for it to be passed on sexually between heterosexuals but among gay and bisexual men growing numbers are becoming infected through sex, especially among those who have unprotected anal sex or fist without gloves. This may be because these mean a greater risk of contact with blood that has the hepatitis C virus in it. The role semen plays in the spread of the virus is still not clear.
A blood test can show if someone’s been infected with the hepatitis C virus.
Do you have a question about Hepatitis C that is not answered on this website? Try www.hepCuk.info, the NHS FaCe It website or www.britishlivertrust.org.uk.
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