Hepatitis is a term used to describe "inflammation of the liver". The liver plays a crucial role in your body's metabolism. An inflamed liver is not able to perform this task adequately. Symptoms of hepatitis include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Poor appetite
• jaundice (yellowing of skin)
• weakness/fatigue
• dark urine
• abdominal pain just below the ribs on the right side
• light colored stools

There are many causes of hepatitis including:

• Viruses
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Disorders of the immune system
• Genetic enzyme defects

Hepatitis C is one of the viruses that cause hepatitis. It is known to account for the great majority of what was previously referred to as "non-A, non-B hepatitis". The hepatitis C virus was originally identified in 1989. In 1990, a hepatitis C antibody test became available. This antibody test can determine if you have ever been exposed to hepatitis C virus.

You cannot get Hepatitis C from casual contact with a person infected with Hepatitis C. In order to become infected with Hepatitis C, you need to have exposure to the blood or body fluids (for example, semen) of someone already infected with Hepatitis C. Most people acquire hepatitis C from a blood transfusion (since a blood test was developed to detect hepatitis C, this mode of transmission is now exceedingly rare) or by sharing needles used for intravenous recreational drug use. In addition, health care workers are also at risk if they stick themselves accidentally with a needle used by a patient with hepatitis C. Do not share razors, toothbrushes or injection needles if you have hepatitis C as these items can be contaminated with small amounts of blood.

The risk for transmitting hepatitis C through intimate sexual contact is unknown, although the risk is believed to be low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that because of the lack of sufficient information, those people with hepatitis C who have only one, long-term sexual partner need not change their sexual practices.

The CDC says there is an increased risk of becoming infected with hepatitis C if one has multiple sex partners. Whether the use of latex condoms is 100% effective in preventing someone from infecting their sexual partner or becoming infected is uncertain.

Currently there is no vaccine available to immunize individuals against this virus.

Many people chronically infected with hepatitis C do not know they are infected. These people are often identified when they have a routine blood test and they are found to have elevated liver enzymes. Alternatively, a number of people with hepatitis C are discovered when they donate blood and hepatitis C antibody is detected. A minority of patients with hepatitis C completely eliminate the infection after they are infected. More commonly, the virus remains in the body (chronic hepatitis C). Most people with chronic hepatitis C simply have elevated liver enzymes. No other problems may be evident. However, 20-50% of patients with chronic hepatitis C will eventually go on to develop cirrhosis of the liver and small percentage of these patients will go on to develop liver cancer.

There are currently about 3.5 million Americans with chronic hepatitis C. Although the number of new cases annually has dropped dramatically since the introduction of a blood test to screen donated blood for hepatitis C, there are still an estimated 30,000 new cases yearly. Many of these people will develop chronic hepatitis. Since chronic hepatitis C may have no symptoms, you should ask your doctor for the screening blood test for hepatitis C if you have any of the risk factors for acquiring hepatitis C (received a blood transfusion, used drugs intravenously, multiple sexual partners, been stuck by a needle that was used by a patient with hepatitis C).

As noted above, only a minority of patients with hepatitis C develop signs of hepatitis and then fully recover, effectively clearing the hepatitis C virus out of the body. Most people infected with hepatitis C develop "chronic hepatitis C". In general, chronic hepatitis C appears to be a slowly progressive disease that may gradually to cirrhosis and/or liver cancer over a 10-40 year period. There is some evidence that the disease progresses more rapidly when it is acquired in middle age or as an older adult.

The drug interferon alpha-2b has been approved for the treatment of

hepatitis C. Approximately 40% of patients treated for six months with interferon will respond, showing major improvement or normalization of liver tests and reduced inflammation on liver biopsy. However, of those people who respond to treatment, approximately 60% will suffer a relapse shortly after interferon treatment is discontinued. Patients can be treated a second time with interferon alpha-2b and 85% of these patients will enter a second remission. The duration of treatment and dosage required for long-term remission in this group of patients has yet to be determined. The true impact of interferon treatment on the long-term course of chronic hepatitis C and survival is unknown.

Ribavirin is a new anti-viral drug that is used in combination with interferon to improve the outcome of interferon therapy.

Patients with hepatitis C should abstain from alcohol. Alcohol can lead to more virus in the blood and subsequently, more liver damage.

A liver biopsy is usually done prior to treatment to determine the severity of liver damage and provide confirmation of the underlying disease. A new test that determines the number of copies of the hepatitis C virus in your bloodstream may eliminate the need for a liver biopsy in some patients.