Hepatitis C Information
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Accession Number
A00372
Author
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Hepatitis Branch
Source
CDC Fact Sheet
Release Date
March 1, 1997
Major Descriptors
Topic
Text
Hepatitis C. High-risk groups. Transmission. Prevention.
CLINICAL FEATURES:
--> Jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, intermittent nausea, vomiting.
ETIOLOGIC AGENT:
--> Hepatitis C virus.
INCIDENCE:
--> 35,000-180,000 total infections/yr in United States. --> 3,000-54,000 (30%) symptomatic infections/yr.
SEQUELAE:
--> Chronic infection >=85% of infected persons. --> Chronic liver disease: 24,500-126,000 (70%)/yr. --> Deaths from chronic liver disease: 8,000-10,000/yr.
PREVALENCE:
--> Estimated 3.9 million chronically infected Americans.
COSTS:
--> Estimated $600 million (1991 dollars)/yr (medical and work loss).
TRANSMISSION:
--> Bloodborne; sexual; perinatal.
RISK GROUPS:
--> Injecting drug users. --> Health care workers. --> Hemodialysis patients. --> Low socioeconomic level. --> Sexual/household contacts of infected persons. --> Sexually active heterosexuals. --> Transfusion recipients.
SURVEILLANCE:
--> Sentinel Counties Studies. --> Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Program.
TRENDS:
--> Incidence stable in 1980s; decline in 1990s. --> Earlier increase among injection drug users now on the decline. --> Decrease of transfusion-associated cases due to donor screening.
PREVENTION:
--> Screening of blood/organ/tissue donors. --> Programs to encourage high-risk behavior modification.
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