Women and HIV/AIDS - Living with HIV/AIDS - Opportunistic Infections

HCV

HCV (hepatitis C virus) makes your liver swell and stops it from working right. You can get HCV by:

sharing drug needles

getting pricked with a needle that has infected blood on it (hospital workers can get HCV this way)

being born to a mother with hepatitis C

getting a tattoo or body piercing with unsterilized, dirty tools

having sex with an infected person, especially if you or your partner has other sexually transmitted diseases. This is rare.

Many people with hepatitis C don't have any symptoms. But some people feel like they have the flu. They have these symptoms:

feel tired

feel sick to their stomach

fever

don't want to eat

stomach pain

diarrhea

They may also have these symptoms:

dark yellow urine

light-colored BM (poop)

yellowish eyes and skin

HCV infection is more serious in persons with HIV. It leads to liver damage more quickly. Having HCV may affect the treatment of HIV infection. So, it's important for HIV-infected persons to know whether they are also infected with HCV and, if they aren't, to take steps to not get it:

Don't share drug needles with anyone.

Wear gloves if you have to touch anyone's blood.

Don't use an infected person's toothbrush, razor, or anything else that could have blood on it.

If you get a tattoo or body piercing, make sure it's done with clean tools.

Use a condom during sex.

Chronic hepatitis C can be treated successfully, even in HIV positive people. It is treated with a drug called interferon alone or in combination with the drug ribavirin. HCV can cause your liver to stop working. If that happens, you will need a new liver. The surgery is called a liver transplant. It involves taking out the old, damaged liver and putting in a new, healthy one from a donor.

Additional Information on HCV:

Publications

Coinfection with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus - This pamphlet provides basic information about Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) for persons living with HIV/AIDS. It discusses the risk factors to HIV-infected persons for HCV infection, methods of transmission including the use of injection drugs and tattooing or body piercing, and treatment options for persons with HCV.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/brochure/coinfection.htm

Frequently Asked Questions - Viral Hepatitis - This fact sheet explains viral hepatitis. It gives information on the symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and discusses the risks of spreading the disease to a child if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It also includes information on the hepatitis A and B vaccines.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/hepatitis.htm

What I need to know about Hepatitis C - This publication provides information on Hepatitis C: the cause of Hepatitis C, how Hepatitis C is transmitted, symptoms, risk factors, tests, and possible treatments are discussed.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepc_ez/index.htm

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/hepatitis/071.html...

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated January 25, 2008.