| Disease/Syndrome |
Hepatitis C |
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| Category |
Infection, Occupational |
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| Acute/Chronic |
Acute-Moderate |
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| Synonyms |
Parenterally transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis |
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| Biomedical References |
Search PubMed |
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| Comments |
FINDINGS: In the acute illness, over 80% of patients are asymptomatic and not jaundiced. [ID, p. 781] Severity ranges from asymptomatic (more than 90% of cases) to fatal. Chronic liver disease with elevated liver function tests occurs in 50%-80% of infected adults. About 50% of adults with chronic infection will eventually develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. Most infections are due to illegal drug injection. Sexual transmission is rare. [CCDM, p. 261-4] Other common symptoms are loss of appetite, dark urine, and light-colored stools. Symptoms occurring in less than 30% of patients include headache, myalgia, arthralgia, diarrhea, and constipation. Rarely seen in the USA is fulminant hepatitis with bleeding diathesis (GI bleeding) and coma. [ID, p. 761, 770] 1/3 to 1/2 of patients with chronic hepatitis C have cryoglobulinemia, symptomatic in only 1% of cases with purpura, vasculitis, neuropathy, or glomerulonephritis. [ID, p. 761, 770, 782] PREVENTION AND TREATMENT: Before routine screening of blood donors with anti-HCV, hepatitis C caused most cases of post-transfusion hepatitis. About 1% of the world's population are infected with hepatitis C. Interferon alpha therapy is beneficial in some cases of chronic hepatitis. [CCDM, p. 261-4] Hepatitis C RNA can be detected as early as 10 days after exposure. Hepatitis C antibodies can be detected at a median of 50 to 70 days after exposure. After an accidental needlestick injury to a healthcare worker, hepatitis C can be excluded when six months have passed and the HCV antibodies are negative and the liver enzymes are not elevated. [JAMA 2002;287(18):2406-12] "The average risk for infection after a needlestick or cut exposure to HCV-infected blood is approximately 1.8%." [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/Blood/exp_blood.htm] |
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| Latency/Incubation |
2 weeks to 6 months (usually 6-9 weeks) |
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| Diagnostic |
anti-HCV (retest in 3-6 weeks if negative early in acute disease); HCV RNA (becomes positive early in acute disease); [5MCC] A positive HCV RNA test confirms viremia, but a negative test may reflect only a transient decline. [CCDM] |
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| ICD-9 Code |
070.5 |
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| Effective Antimicrobics |
Yes |
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| Scope |
Global; Travelers at increased risk: 1.) receive a blood transfusion not screened for HCV; 2.) have a medical or dental procedure with contaminated equipment; or 3.) share needles for acupuncture, tattooing, or injecting drugs. [CDC Travel, p. 171] |
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| Reference Link |
CDC - Hepatitis C |
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| Related Information in Haz-Map |
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| Symptoms/Findings |
Symptoms/Findings associated with this disease:
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| Job Tasks |
High risk job tasks associated with this disease:
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