Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a viral STBBI transmitted mainly through injection drug use. It tends to be a chronic infection, with no early symptoms, which means that almost half of those infected are unaware of their status. It can cause liver damage if left untreated. Fortunately, the cure rate is very high with the help of antivirals.

Causes

Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus transmitted through bodily fluids, including blood. Sexual transmission and transmission from mother to fetus are rare.

Who is at risk of infection?

In Quebec, most new infections are linked to injection drug use. More rarely, transmission is possible during sexual relations and from mother to fetus. Hepatitis C is more widespread in certain regions outside Canada, where transmission also occurs during non-sterile medical procedures.

The following factors may put you at greater risk of infection:

  • Sharing of non-sterile injection or inhalation equipment (intranasal cocaine)
  • Tattooing, piercing or transfusion with non-sterile equipment
  • Having unprotected sex with a high risk of bleeding
  • Doing time

Public health authorities have also observed that hepatitis C rates are highest among people born between 1950 and 1969 (the baby boomers). It is therefore recommended that people in this age group undergo screening once in their lives.

Symptoms and complications

Hepatitis C tends to become chronic. Infected people sometimes have no symptoms at all, and unknowingly transmit the disease. When symptoms do appear, often several years after the initial infection, they are as follows:

  • Severe fatigue
  • loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting
  • Abdominal pain and diarrhea
  • Pale stools and dark urine
  • Fever
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin)

Chronic hepatitis C increases the risk of serious liver disease, including cirrhosis and cancer.

Screening and treatment

How to screen? Screening is performed by a blood test.

When to screen? The minimum delay before detection is six weeks. The window period for detection ends 12 weeks after exposure.

Advances in the treatment of hepatitis C have made treatment more accessible. Today, after a few weeks of treatment, hepatitis C can be definitively cured in the majority of cases.

Protection

There is no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C. If you use intravenous drugs, we recommend that you use sterile equipment and not share it. Since it's possible to be infected and still have no symptoms, routine screening is indicated according to your risk factors. Also, since hepatitis C is a disease that can be contracted more than once, it's important to maintain safe behaviors, even after an initial recovery.