Diseases, Conditions & Concerns / Question
Published: December 15, 2008
Dear TeenHealthFX,
My father just told me and my sister that he's had hepatitis C since he was a teen (he had my sister at 28 and me at 33.)i've always been the catious person and wouldn't ever eat or drink after anyone, so i don't think i have contracted it that way. but, i was wondering if it could be passed down through genetics. Thanks!
Signed: Can Hep C Be Passed Through Genetics?
Dear Can Hep C Be Passed Through Genetics?,
The main way that Hepatitis C (HCV) is transmitted is through contact with contaminated blood – and the sharing or needles and other drug paraphernalia while doing drugs is the most common risk factor. Sharing drinks or food with your father would not contract HCV, nor would the fact that he is your biological father. Unless you somehow came in contact with his blood, it is hard to imagine how you would have contracted HCV. It is possible, however, for a mother with HCV to pass the virus onto her baby – but this happens in a relatively small number of cases. So if your mother had HCV, then there is a possibility you may have the virus.
While it sounds like it is unlikely that you have HCV, you might consider getting tested if it would help to put your mind at ease. Sometimes knowing for sure from an accurate test at the doctor’s is the thing that helps a person to feel okay about their status with a particular disease or condition.
To prevent your father from transmitting HCV to you, the main thing you would want to do is use caution if ever your father has any kind of accident around you where he is bleeding. If you don’t have to come in contact with any blood in a situation like this, that is most ideal. But if you have to help or assist in some way, make sure there are sterile gloves you can use to prevent getting any blood onto your hands and take care to avoid getting blood on your body. If you do get blood on you, thoroughly wash the area with soap and water as soon as possible. Any blood contaminated surfaces should be washed with soap and water and disinfected with a bleach and water solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water). And personal items that may have blood on them should not be shared – such as razors, toothbrushes, and nail files. (To prevent transmitting HCV you would also not want to share any needles with your father – but FX certainly hopes that you are not doing drugs and that this isn’t a consideration for you!)
If you would like to learn more about HCV, including causes, symptoms, when to see a doctor, and prevention, then read below. And if getting tested for HCV would ease your mind, then talk to a medical care professional about getting tested. If you don't have a doctor and live in northern
You can also finding a testing site in your area by going to www.HepC-Connection.org or by calling Hep C Connection at 1-800-522-HEPC. For more information you can also contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention hepatitis website at www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/index.htm or call their information line at 1-888-4HEPCDC.
General Information on Hepatitis C:
For our readers who may not know, hepatitis C (HCV) is a virus that often silently attacks the liver. Most people with HCV have no symptoms at all, and aren’t even aware they have the disease until decades later when some kind of liver damage shows up during routine medical testing. HCV is one of six identified hepatitis viruses (the others are A, B, D, E, and G). All cause the liver to become inflamed, which interferes with its ability to function – but HCV is considered to be among the more serious of these viruses, as it can lead to liver cancer, liver failure or cirrhosis, and irreversible scarring of the liver.
HCV is usually not transmitted through sexual contact, but by exposure to contaminated blood through needle sharing during drug use or through blood transfusions. While vaccines exist for hepatitis A and B, no vaccine for HCV currently is available – so it is important to take necessary precautions from becoming infected.
Causes:
1. In general, you get HCV by coming into contact with blood contaminated with the virus. This can happen through:
- Blood transfusions received before 1992, the year improved blood-screening tests became available.
- Injecting drugs with contaminated needles.
- Less commonly, from contaminated needles used in tattooing and body piercing.
- Use of blood-clotting products prior to 1987
- Long term hemodialysis
- Healthcare workers who are exposed to accidental needle sticks
2. A small number of babies born to mothers with HCV acquire the infection during childbirth. Mother-to-infant transmission rates are higher among women infected with both HCV and HIV.
3. In rare cases, HCV can be transmitted sexually.
HCV is NOT caused by causal contact or by swimming pools, toilets, or water fountains. It is NOT spread by coughing, sneezing, hugging, or sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, or through breastfeeding.
Symptoms:
- Usually HCV produces no symptoms in its early stages. But if symptoms do appear, they tend to be flu-like and may include slight fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, muscle and joint pain, and tenderness in the area of your liver.
- Even those who develop chronic hepatitis from HCV there still may be few symptoms, if any. However, some people do experience some or all of the following: fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting, persistent or recurring yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice), and low grade fevers.
When to See the Doctor About HCV:
- Since HCV can cause damage to the liver even without any visible symptoms, it is important to be tested if you think you have been exposed to the virus or if you have engaged in behaviors that have put you at risk. So if you think you may have been exposed to HCV, or if you are experiencing yellowing of the skin or eyes (or any other symptoms associated with HCV), see your doctor.
- If you received a blood transfusion before 1992 from a donor who later tested positive for HCV, you may have received a letter from your hospital informing you of this. In that case it is important to get tested.
- If you are being treated for HCV, see your doctor right away if you experience any of the following: increase drowsiness, confusion, or irritability; vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain; increased jaundice; skin rash; fever; and/or loss of appetite.
You can find a testing site in your area by going to www.HepC-Connection.org or by calling Hep C Connection at 1-800-522-HEPC. For more information you can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention hepatitis website at www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/index.htm or call their information line at 1-888-4HEPCDC.
Prevention:
Because there is no effective vaccine for HCV, the only way to protect yourself is to avoid becoming infected. This means taking the following precautions:
- Avoid illegal drug use. Do not share needles or drug paraphernalia as contaminated drug paraphernalia is responsible for more than half of all new HCV cases. Avoid nasal use of cocaine as blood on shared straws also can transmit the virus.
- Avoid body piercing and tattooing. If you do get a piercing or a tattoo, be absolutely sure that the equipment being used is sterile.
- Avoid risky sexual behavior. Do not engage in unprotected sex with multiple partners or with one partner whose health status is uncertain.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Nearly all the poison deaths in the 
