There are over three million people in the US carrying the hepatitis C virus. Surprisingly, the vast majority of them — over 75% of hepatitis C carriers — are between the ages of 51 and 71.
Why is that? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) the reasons are not entirely understood. However, what is known is that, once diagnosed, Hepatitis C can be treated successful with prescription medication.
How Is Hepatitis C Contracted?
Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. While there are three main types of hepatitis (A, B and C), hepatitis C is the most common.
To contract hepatitis C, your blood has to come into contact with blood or body tissue from someone who has the active virus. This can happen through direct blood-to-blood contact, e.g., if you get cut or pricked with an instrument that has contaminated blood on it, such as a razor, used needle or scalpel.
Although it’s not common, it’s possible to contract hepatitis C through sexual activity and by sharing personal items with someone who has the virus.
Before 1992, blood and organ donations in North America weren’t routinely screened for the hepatitis C virus. Therefore, anyone who received a transplant, or a blood or blood product transfusion, could have contracted the virus through contaminated donations. This may be one reason why so many adults born between 1945 and 1965 have hepatitis C and don’t know it.
Hepatitis C Is a Silent or Hidden Disease
There are no symptoms of hepatitis C until it starts to cause liver damage, which can take years, even decades, after you were first infected.
During that time, if you are undiagnosed, you can unknowingly spread the virus to others. In addition, the longer you carry the active virus, the higher the risk of developing liver damage.
Hepatitis C Symptoms and Diagnosis
Acute hepatitis C occurs when you have the virus for less than six months. If you still have the virus in your blood system after six months, this is called chronic hepatitis. Because acute hepatitis rarely has symptoms, most seniors with hepatitis C have the chronic form, which is diagnosed through blood tests.
The hepatitis C antibody test shows if you’ve been exposed to the hepatitis C virus at some point in your life. If the test is positive, another blood test is taken to determine if there is any active virus present in your body. Up to 25% of people who contract the infection never realize they have it, and unknowingly fight it off.
If you have hepatitis C and it has started to damage your liver, it may not seem obvious at first. Hepatitis C symptoms may be vague, making you think you’ve come down with the flu or a similar virus. As the damage progresses, you may notice one or more of these warning signs:
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
- Itchy skin
- Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes
- Dark-colored urine
- Nausea
- Poor appetite
- Sore, aching muscles
Hepatitis C Treatment
If you’re a baby boomer or senior, you may know someone who has had hepatitis C treatment in the past. The treatment had many side effects, and wasn’t always effective. The good news is that a lot of research has gone into treating hepatitis C, and the landscape has dramatically improved. Newer hep c treatments are very successful, and have fewer, if any, side effects.
That being said, the treatment course is long. It can take up to three months for your body to shed the hepatitis C virus. Treatment is a commitment, and you must take your medicines exactly as prescribed for the full time prescribed.
If you haven’t done so already, talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner about getting tested for hepatitis C. While no vaccine for hepatitis C is available, the CDC estimates that one-time testing of everyone born between 1945 and 1965 could prevent more than 120,000 deaths.
