Is Hepatitis c fatal?
487884
yes if left untreated it will destroy your liver
521303
Has he been tested? If he hasn't he needs to be. If he doesn't have it then yes by all means wear a condom if it will give him peace of mind. The following FAQ is from the CDC.\n\nHow is HCV spread from one person to another? \n\n How could a person have gotten hepatitis C?\nHCV is spread primarily by direct contact with human blood. For example, you may have gotten infected with HCV if: \n\nyou ever injected street drugs, as the needles and/or other drug "works" used to prepare or inject the drug(s) may have had someone else's blood that contained HCV on them. \nyou received blood, blood products, or solid organs from a donor whose blood contained HCV. \nyou were ever on long-term kidney dialysis as you may have unknowingly shared supplies/equipment that had someone else's blood on them. \nyou were ever a healthcare worker and had frequent contact with blood on the job, especially accidental needlesticks. \nyour mother had hepatitis C at the time she gave birth to you. During the birth her blood may have gotten into your body. \nyou ever had sex with a person infected with HCV. \nyou lived with someone who was infected with HCV and shared items such as razors or toothbrushes that might have had his/her blood on them. \n How long can HCV live outside the body and transmit infection? \nRecent studies suggest that HCV may survive on environmental surfaces at room temperature at least 16 hours, but no longer than 4 days.\n\n What do you use to remove HCV from environmental surfaces?\nYou should clean up any blood spills - including dried blood, which can still be infectious - using 1:10 dilution of one part household bleach to 10 parts of water for disinfecting the area. Use gloves when cleaning up any blood spills.\n\n Is there any evidence that HCV has been spread during medical or dental procedures done in the United States? \nMedical and dental procedures done in the United States generally do not pose a risk for the spread of HCV. However, there have been a few situations in which HCV has been spread between patients when supplies or equipment were shared between them. \n\n Can HCV be spread by sexual activity? \nYes, but this does not occur very often. See section below on counseling for more information on hepatitis C and sexual activity. \n\n Can HCV be spread by oral sex?\nThere is no evidence that HCV has been spread by oral sex. See section on counseling for more information on hepatitis C and sexual activity. \n\n Can HCV be spread within a household? \nYes, but this does not occur very often. If HCV is spread within a household, it is most likely due to direct exposure to the blood of an infected household member.\n\nCan you get Hepatitis C from getting a tattoo?\nAlthough biologically possible when poor infection control practices are used, there is no evidence that hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been spread through tattooing. For more information...\n\nSince more advanced tests have been developed for use in blood banks, what is the chance now that a person can get HCV infection from transfused blood or blood products? \nLess than 1 chance per 2 million units transfused.\n\n Is it possible that HCV could be transmitted through the bite of a mosquito or other blood sucking arthropods, especially in third world countries? \nHepatitis C virus has not been shown to be transmitted by mosquitoes or other arthropods.\n\n How can a person protect themselves from getting hepatitis C and other diseases spread by contact with human blood? \n\nDon't ever shoot drugs. If you shoot drugs, stop and get into a treatment program. If you can't stop, never reuse or share syringes, water, or drug works, and get vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. \nDo not share toothbrushes, razors, or other personal care articles. They might have blood on them. \nIf you are a healthcare worker, always follow routine barrier precautions and safely handle needles and other sharps. Get vaccinated against hepati
847702
No! Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus; that means it is only transmitted from blood to blood. You do not get it from casual contact; that includes sharing a cigarette with someone who has hep c. \nYou should not share razors or toothbrushes with anyone; the virus can live outside the body for days and can be transmitted to others (cuts from shaving or bleeding gums). Other than blood to blood transmission, you can't catch it. \nTransmission factors are tattoos, piercings, IV drug use (even if only one time), blood transfusions before 1992, EMT's paramedics, nurses, & doctors exposure through work, pnuematic vaccination guns used by the military in the 60's & 70's, kidney dialysis, etc. \nHope this helped calm your fears.
798680
no, but they can die from the cause of jaundice, such as liver failure, or cirrhosis, or not enough bile
913729
hcv is ONLY contracted via blood to blood transmission. Sex is almost NON existant.\n\nas far as working with someone with hcv, you'd be surprised to find this person is not the only one who has it!\n\nthere are many ways of getting hepatitis c....hcv is a tricky disease...even tho a regular liver panel may not show elevations in the ALT and AST levels, you could be infected! (long before the person in question even!) ever done drugs? shared utensils after someone like a cocaine straw? ever been to the dentist? had a peircing or tatoo? every had surgery of any kind prior to 1994? ever had your nails or toenails done? ever cut yourself on something someone else could of cut themselves on? how bout sharing a toothbrush or razor? \n\nhcv usually comes on very slow, it can take decades before something serious happens.\n\nthey claim hcv is a-symptomatic, but many who find they have the disease, look back and figure out that the doc, unknowingly, treated each symptom as a seperate disease, without being able to treat the cause due to simply not knowing what to treat. (these symptoms are called bi-directional diseases).\n\nif you want to be sure you don't have hcv yourself, regardless of risk factors or not, get tested for antibodies.\n\nhcv corpuscles found in bodily fluids are not transmittable.\nagain, hcv is ONLY acquired through a blood to blood transmission of some kind.\n\nnow, if you suggest to your boss to lay a person off just because he has a disease, your spelling trouble. it's discrimination...hcv is something that i grew up with and has kept me from working do to brain fog and short term memory, but this doe's not affect everyone who has hcv. \n\ni would also like to add if kids can go to school with hepatitis c like i did from the age of 8 and on, one can certainly have job security. i think you would benefit from being a little more kind and understanding as anyone can be unhealthy at any given time. the treatment for hepatitis c is very expensive (over 60 thousand dollars for a years worth of antiviral chemotherapy), so let it alone, chances are this person may need the job....
1084196
If they have hepatitis B & C it is safe to visit them as long as you don't swap body fluids or engage in any activities that might expose you to blood.  Hep A is fine just be sure to wash your hands afterwards, and before touching your eyes or mouth, or eating anything.
282928
Yeah... a couple of examples: too little in the way of some vitamins will kill you.  Not enough C= scurvy, which is deadly (immune system compromise and other things) and affected many English sailors.  Not enough D= rickets, which could possibly be fatal to a young child from loss of bone mass.  Not enough B1 (thiamine)= beriberi, which is a systemic disorder something like scurvy that can kill.  Not enough protein= kwashiorkor, which is also lethal.\n\nAlso, too much A can burn up your liver (so can acetaminophen, which is Tylenol).  Too much B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) can cause nerve damage.  Too much D or calcium can cause calcium stones, which aren't fatal, but if you get one in your kidneys and can't urinate as a result, you'll wish you were dead.  I am sure there are others, too... and if you drink too much water, as some people who are compulsive do, you can actually drown yourself... :)
1075881
Hep C is mostly spread by blood, but other body fluids (like those involved with sex) can cause it to spread to others as well.\nSo unless you or your daughter have been having sex with your parents or touching their open wounds (or blood in any form) you should be safe. If you are really that worried get the test done.
1035823
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small, enveloped, single-stranded, positive sense RNA virus in the family Flaviviridae.\n\nThe hepatitis B virus is a member of the Hepadnavirus family. It consists of a proteinaceous core particle containing the viral genome in the form of double stranded DNA with single-stranded regions and an outer lipid-based envelope with embedded proteins. \n\nTransmission of the viruses and signs and symptoms of both are remarkably similar.
687036
A cure (which means hep C virus levels are no longer detectable during and after six months of finishing treatment) is dependent on which genotype of virus you have, whether you follow your dosing instructions correctly, and then luck. For genotype 1, the most common type found in the US and also the hardest to treat, a cure can be achieved in 40-60% of cases. Other genotypes have a higher response rate. Even if you don't completely get rid of the virus the treatment will greatly slow the rate of damage the hep C virus is causing to your liver. The treatment will cause flu like symptoms and fatigue so be prepared. good luck\n\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm
940404
Hep C is not transmitted by drinking from someone's cup, or through bodily fluids.It is rarely transmitted from mother to child (<8%). (I know you didn't ask that; I just had to clarify the misinformation from the last answerer). \nGo to hepatitisneighborhood.com , they have a chat every Tuesday night with a doctor or PA.  You might want to check with a local support group. It was the best thing I ever did. I learned so much about the disease; learned how to advocate for myself and others, and have met many wonderful people. Best wishes to you; you are definitely not alone.
1166930
Hep C is called the silent killer.It is a slowly progressive disease caused by a virus which wasn't identified until the 1990's,which ends in liver failure.It is caused by receiving "tainted blood" which would have occurred years ago,sharing needles with an infected person,tattoo with infected needle or ink,rarely by sex.If discovered in the very early stages and depending on the proto type of the virus you have you can be cured with pegylated interferon and ribaviran.It can be confirmed with a simple blood test.My Hubie caught in from "tainted blood" in 1968 did not become ill until 1998.Was in liver failure in November 2000 and received a liver transplant in 2000 and his new liver is doing fine.Anyone with Hep C should make an appointment with a hepatologist at a major medical center for treatment and possibly added to the transplant list if needed.,
623366
Hepatitis A (HAV) is transmitted through oral-fecal contact. Acute HAV usually has an acute phase that lasts from 4-6 weeks with or without jaundice, fatigue and hepatomeglia.\n\nHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a considerable health problem worldwide and a significant cause of liver disease and liver cancer in humans. \n\nLittle data is available about hepatitis C. It has only been in the last several years that we could test for the presence of HCV through the use of PCR RNA testing.
19229
If you know your quantitative HCV RNA (viral load) is greater than 1 million, then you must be in medical care, right?  There are a number of questions that you should ask your doctor to help you better understand your disease.  First, HCV viral loads are reported in different units - IU/mL or copies/mL.  You likely have a "high" HCV viral load (usually anything greater than 600,000 IU/mL is considered "high").  The viral load has NO correlation with the severity of disease.  You can have a high viral load and no liver damage or a low viral load and extensive liver damamage - it depends.  However, it may make the infection more difficult to treat.\n\nYou should ask your doctor about your HCV genotype (usually 1, 2, 3, or 4) and discuss a liver biopsy.  The liver biopsy (thin needle inserted into liver to collect small sample of liver tissue) is the only difinitive way to determine the extent of damage in the liver.  It will tell your doctor how much inflammation the virus is causing.  With long term inflammation (over years - usually 10-20 years) inflammation can cause fibrosis.  Extensive fibrosis can result in liver function decline.  Over time, cirrhosis (extensive fibrosis) can lead to serious complications requiring a liver transplant.\n\nGet your liver checked - usually a hepatologist is the best source of information as they are experts in the evaluation of liver disease.  There is treatment available and a large portion of individuals eradicate the HCV infection and reverse some liver damage.\n\nLifestyle changes can help your liver as well - stop smoking, avoid alcohol, eat healthy and exercise to lose weight if necessary.\n\nCheck out the following website for excellent information about HCV.
583655
You can only contract Hepatitis C through the blood. Kissing and licking are all good as long as neither one of you are kissing or licking any open wounds. Protection is not need for intercourse...like I said, it's only contracted through blood.
228810
It is a possibility that Hepatitis C can be transmitted by saliva. It can be transmitted by blood, sexual contact, perinatal contact, and other unknown factors.
841642
http://www.natap.org/2005/HCV/122105_01.htm  try this link it may help you