Hepatitis C

What I need to know about
 

Hepatitis C 

U.S. Department 

of Health and 

Human Services 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse 

 

What I need to know about 

Hepatitis C 

U.S. Department 


of Health and
 

Human Services
 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse
4

Contents
 

What is hepatitis C? ................................................ 1
 

What is the liver?..................................................... 1
 

What causes hepatitis C?........................................ 2
 

Who gets hepatitis C?............................................. 2
 

How could I get hepatitis C?.................................. 3
 

What are the symptoms of hepatitis C? ................ 4
 

What is chronic hepatitis C? .................................. 5
 

How is hepatitis C diagnosed? ............................... 6
 

How is hepatitis C treated? .................................... 7
 

How can I avoid getting hepatitis C? .................... 8
 

What should I do if I think I have been 


exposed to the hepatitis C virus? ........................... 9
 

Points to Remember ............................................... 9
 

Hope through Research ....................................... 10
 

Pronunciation Guide............................................. 11
 

For More Information .......................................... 12
 

Acknowledgments ................................................. 14
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is hepatitis C? 

Hepatitis C is a liver disease. Hepatitis* means 

inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is the 

painful, red swelling that results when tissues of the 

body become injured or infected. Inflammation 

can cause organs to not work properly. 

What is the liver? 

The liver is an organ that does many important 


things. 


The liver 

● removes harmful chemicals from your blood 

● fights infection 

● helps digest food 

● stores nutrients and 

vitamins 

● stores energy 

You cannot live without 

a liver. 

*See page 11 for tips 

on how to say the 

words in bold type. 

Esophagus

Stomach 

Liver Large

intestine 

Small 

intestine

Hepatitis C is a liver disease. 

1 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What causes hepatitis C? 

The hepatitis C virus causes hepatitis C. Viruses 

are germs that can cause sickness. For example, 

the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses 

to each other. 

Who gets hepatitis C? 

Anyone can get hepatitis C, but some people are 

at higher risk, including 

●	 people who were born to a mother with 


hepatitis C
 

●	 people who have had more than one sex partner 

in the last 6 months or have a history of sexually 

transmitted disease 

●	 people who had a blood transfusion or organ 

transplant before July 1992 

●	 people with hemophilia who received blood 

products before 1987 

●	 people who have used illegal injection drugs 

2 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How could I get hepatitis C? 

You could get hepatitis C through contact with an 

infected person’s blood. 

You could get hepatitis C from 

●	 being born to a mother with hepatitis C 

●	 having sex with an infected person 

●	 being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools 

that were used on an infected person 

●	 getting an accidental needle stick with a needle 

that was used on an infected person 

●	 using an infected person’s razor or toothbrush 

●	 sharing drug needles with an infected person 

You could get hepatitis C by sharing drug 

needles with an infected person. 

3 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You cannot get hepatitis C from 

●	 shaking hands with an infected person 

●	 hugging an infected person 

●	 sitting next to an infected person 

What are the symptoms of hepatitis C? 

Most people have no symptoms until the virus 

causes liver damage, which can take 10 or more 

years to happen. Others have one or more of the 

following symptoms: 

●	 yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice 

●	 a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding 

to stop 

●	 swollen stomach or ankles 

●	 easy bruising 

●	 tiredness 

●	 upset stomach 

●	 fever 

●	 loss of appetite 

●	 diarrhea 

● light-colored stools 

● dark yellow urine	 

4 

A doctor can test you for 

hepatitis C. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is chronic hepatitis C? 

Hepatitis C is chronic when the body can’t get rid 

of the hepatitis C virus. Although some people 

clear the virus from their bodies in a few months, 

most hepatitis C infections become chronic. 

Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C can cause 

scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis; liver cancer; 

and liver failure. 

Symptoms of cirrhosis include 

●	 yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice 

●	 a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding 

to stop 

●	 swollen stomach or ankles 

●	 tiredness 

● nausea 

●	 weakness 

●	 loss of appetite 

●	 weight loss 

●	 spiderlike blood vessels, called spider angiomas, 

that develop on the skin 

5 
 

 

 

 

How is hepatitis C diagnosed? 

Hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood tests, which 

can also show if you have chronic hepatitis C or 

another type of hepatitis. Your doctor may suggest 

getting a liver biopsy if chronic hepatitis C is 

suspected. A liver biopsy is a test for liver damage. 

The doctor uses a needle to remove a tiny piece of 

liver, which is then looked at with a microscope. 

Blood is drawn for hepatitis C testing. 

6 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How is hepatitis C treated? 

Hepatitis C is not treated unless it becomes 

chronic. Chronic hepatitis C is treated with drugs 

that slow or stop the virus from damaging the liver. 

Drugs for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C 

Chronic hepatitis C is most often treated with the 

drug combination peginterferon and ribavirin, 

which attacks the hepatitis C virus. Peginterferon 

is taken through weekly shots and ribavirin is taken 

daily by mouth. Treatment lasts from 24 to 48 weeks. 

Liver Transplantation 

A liver transplant may be necessary if 

chronic hepatitis C causes liver failure. Liver 

transplantation surgery replaces a failed liver with 

a healthy one from a donor. Drug treatment often 

must continue because hepatitis C usually comes 

back after surgery. 

Hepatitis C is treated with 

pills and shots of medicine. 

7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

How can I avoid getting hepatitis C? 

You can protect yourself and others from 

hepatitis C if you 

● do not share drug needles 

●	 wear gloves if you have to touch another 

person’s blood 

●	 use a condom during sex 

●	 do not borrow another person’s toothbrush, 

razor, or anything else that could have blood on it 

●	 make sure any tattoos or body piercings you get 

are done with sterile tools 

●	 do not donate blood or blood products if you 

have hepatitis C 

Do not share needles if you inject 

drugs. 

8 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What should I do if I think I have been 

exposed to the hepatitis C virus? 

See your doctor and get tested if you are at higher 

risk of getting hepatitis C or if you think you were 

exposed to the hepatitis C virus. Many people do 

not know they are infected. Early diagnosis and 

treatment can help prevent liver damage. 

Points to Remember 

●	 Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the 


hepatitis C virus.
 

●	 Anyone can get hepatitis C, but some people are 

at higher risk. 

●	 You could get hepatitis C through contact with 

an infected person’s blood. 

●	 Hepatitis C is chronic when the body can’t get 

rid of the hepatitis C virus. 

●	 Liver damage can take 10 or more years to 

happen and is often the first sign of hepatitis C. 

●	 Get tested if you are at higher risk or think you 

may have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus. 

Many people do not know they are infected. 

●	 Chronic hepatitis C is treated with drugs that 

slow or stop the virus from damaging the liver. 

9 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope through Research 

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive 

and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and 

supports basic and clinical research into many 

digestive disorders, including hepatitis C. 

Participants in clinical trials can play a more 

active role in their own health care, gain access to 

new research treatments before they are widely 

available, and help others by contributing to 

medical research. For information about current 

studies, visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov. 

10
 
Pronunciation Guide 

angiomas (an-jee-OH-muhs)
 

biopsy (BY-op-see)
 

chronic (KRON-ik)
 

cirrhosis (sur-ROH-siss)
 

hepatitis (HEP-uh-TY-tiss) 


inflammation (IN-fluh-MAY-shuhn)
 

jaundice (JAWN-diss)
 

peginterferon (PEG-IN-tur-FIHR-on)
 

ribavirin (RY-buh-VY-rin)
 

virus (VY-ruhss)
 

11 
 

 

 

For More Information 

American Liver Foundation 

75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603 

New York, NY 10038–4810 

Phone: 1–800–GO–LIVER (1–800–465–4837)

 or 212–668–1000 

Fax: 212–483–8179 

Email: info@liverfoundation.org 

Internet: www.liverfoundation.org 

Hepatitis Foundation International 

504 Blick Drive 

Silver Spring, MD 20904–2901 

Phone: 1–800–891–0707 or 301–622–4200 

Fax: 301–622–4702 

Email: hfi@comcast.net 

Internet: www.hepfi.org 

12
 
 

 

 

 

 

Other types of hepatitis exist. The National 

Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) also has booklets about hepatitis A and 

hepatitis B: 

● What I need to know about Hepatitis A 

● What I need to know about Hepatitis B 

You can get a free copy of each booklet by 

calling 1–800–891–5389, by going online to 

www.catalog.niddk.nih.gov, or by writing to 

NDDIC 

2 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570 

Hepatitis information for health professionals is 

also available. 

13 
14

 

 

 

Acknowledgments 

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are 

carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists 

and outside experts. The individuals listed here 

provided editorial guidance or facilitated fieldtesting for the original version of this publication. 

The NDDIC would like to thank these individuals 

for their contribution. 

Bruce Bacon, M.D. 

American Liver Foundation 

New York, NY 

Theo Heller, M.D. 

NIDDK, National Institutes of Health 

Bethesda, MD 

Luby Garza-Abijaoude, M.S., R.D., L.D. 

Texas Department of Health 

Austin, TX 

Thelma Thiel, R.N. 

Hepatitis Foundation International 

Cedar Grove, NJ 

14
 
15

National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse 

2 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570 

Phone: 1–800–891–5389 

TTY: 1–866–569–1162 

Fax: 703–738–4929 

Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov 

Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov 

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of 

the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services. Established in 1980, the Clearinghouse 

provides information about digestive diseases to people with 

digestive disorders and to their families, health care professionals, 

and the public. The NDDIC answers inquiries, develops and 

distributes publications, and works closely with professional and 

patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate 

resources about digestive diseases. 

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse 

encourages users of this booklet to duplicate and distribute as 

many copies as desired. 

This booklet is also available at www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov. 

This publication may contain information about medications. 

When prepared, this publication included the most current 

information available. For updates or for questions about any 

medications, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

toll-free at 1–888–INFO–FDA (1–888–463–6332) or visit 

www.fda.gov. Consult your doctor for more information. 
U.S. DEpArTmENT OF HEALTH 

AND HUmAN SErvICES 

National Institutes of Health 

NIH Publication No. 09–4229 

April 2009