Hepatitis C risk factors

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Yazan Daaboul, Serge Korjian;Javaria Anwer M.D.[2]

## Overview[edit | edit source]

The most potent risk factor in the development of hepatitis C is intravenous drug use. Other risk factors include occupational exposure to blood, sexual intercourse with infected individuals, multiple bloods transfusions prior to 1992, and HIV infection.

## Risk Factors[edit | edit source]

Percutaneous exposure to blood is the primary mode of HCV transmission. The following are the most important risk factors for HCV infection:[1][2]:

* Individuals are majorly infected via percutaneous exposure to infected blood. Most persons with HCV were infected.
* Injecting drug use is the most important risk factors nowadays
* Transfusion of blood and blood products, especially before 1992
* Unsafe therapeutic injections, especially in hemophilia patients prior to 1987

Other, less important risk factors include:[1][2]

* Hemodialysis (Higher rates of infection are observed)
* Solid organ transplantation from infected donors
* Occupational exposure to blood, such as contaminated needle sticks
* Birth to infected mother in cases of detectable maternal HCV PCR at delivery (at the rate of 4%–5%). Breastfeeding is not associated with the transmission.
* Sexual intercourse with infected partner
* Sexual intercourse with multiple partners
* HIV infection
* Tattoo or piercing with infected needle sticks (low risk for transmission after strict infection control measures)

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alter MJ (2007). "Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection". World J Gastroenterol. 13 (17): 2436–41. PMID 17552026.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kaplan, David E. (2020). "Hepatitis C Virus". Annals of Internal Medicine. 173 (5): ITC33–ITC48. doi:10.7326/AITC202009010. ISSN 0003-4819.