Hepatitis C Virus
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation, sometimes leading to serious liver damage. This virus is spread through contaminated blood.
According to the CDC, one in thirty baby boomers — the generation born between the years 1945 to 1965 — has been infected with hepatitis C and most don’t know it.
Signs and symptoms of HCV:
- bleeding easily
- bruising easily
- fatigue
- poor appetite
- yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
- dark-colored urine
- itchy skin
- fluid build up in your abdomen (ascites)
- swelling in your legs
- weight loss
- confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
- spider-like blood vessels on your skin (spider angiomas)
Risk factors include:
- you are a healthcare worker who has been exposed to infected blood, which may happen if an infected needle pierces your skin
- you have ever injected or inhaled illicit drugs
- you have HIV
- you received a piercing or tattoo in an unclean environment using unsterile equipment
- you have received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992
- you have received clotting factor concentrates before 1987
- you have received hemodialysis treatments for a long period of time
- you were born to a woman with a hepatitis C infection
- you were ever in prison
- you were born between the years 1945 and 1965
Other surprising facts about HCV:
– 25% of people with HIV also have HCV
– 2 to 10% of people with HCV also have HBV (hepatitis B virus)
– HCV tends to progress faster in people with HIV
– HCV is one of the top causes of liver disease, liver transplants, and the leading cause of death from liver disease
– about 75% of adults with HCV are of the baby boomer generation
– chronic liver disease, which is often due to HCV, is a leading cause of death for African Americans
– rates of chronic HCV are higher for African Americans than for people of other ethnicities
– HCV is not transmitted through coughing, sneezing, or being in close proximity to someone with HCV
– HCV does not pass through breast milk
![]() |
Normal liver vs. liver cirrhosis
|
If you think you may have HCV, please see your doctor!
Sources:
Photo:

Class Schedule
12/5/2016 @ 2:00 pm
HeartSaver CPR / AED
Register here for this class!
12/5/2016 @ 6:00 pm
BLS Provider
Register here for this class!
12/9/2016 @ 10:00 am
BLS Provider Skills Session
Register here for this class!
12/9/2016 @ 12:00 pm
BLS Provider
Register here for this class!
12/9/2016 @ 4:00 pm
ACLS Skills Session
Register here for this class!
12/10/2016 @ 9:00 am
BLS Provider
Register here for this class!
12/10/2016 @ 9:00 am
HeartSaver CPR / AED
Register here for this class!
12/10/2016 @ 11:00 am
BLS Provider Skills Session
Register here for this class!
1/28/2017 @ 8:00 am
Phlebotomy Workshop
Register here for this workshop!
We also offer onsite training. Please call us today to schedule!
Chris – 239-292-4225
![]() |