Hepatitis C: An In-Depth Guide
Other types of hepatitis
Hepatitis in general refers to any inflammation of the liver. It can have a variety of causes, including viruses, medicines, alcohol, chemicals and other toxins. Hepatitis C is a serious form of viral hepatitis, especially in the chronic stage of infection. Two other forms of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These can sometimes be confused with Hep C, but the three viruses are quite different.
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Comparing Hepatitis A, B & C |
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| Hepatitis A | Hepatitis B | Hep C | |
| Transmission | Fecal-oral route | Blood and body fluids | Blood-to-blood contact |
| Disease Progression |
Infection usually clears on its own Mild illness possibly including fatigue, fever and jaundice |
85% can clear the virus without treatment Chronic infection can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis and cancer |
20% clear the virus without treatment Chronic infection can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis and cancer |
| Treatment | None | Antiviral medications with varying success | Antiviral medications with varying success |
| Vaccine/ Immunity | Yes | Yes | No |
There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, but there are vaccines against hepatitis A and B.
A person can be infected with more than one hepatitis virus. This co-infection will cause the person to be more ill than if he or she had one virus alone. Getting the vaccines for hepatitis A and B will help protect a person's health, even if he or she already has Hep C.
Other hepatitis viruses:
Hepatitis D is a virus that only infects people with hepatitis B. Like other co-infections, having hepatitis B and D will cause more liver damage than hepatitis B alone.
Hepatitis E is transmitted similarly to hepatitis A (by contact with contaminated feces). It is not often seen in North America, but it is seen in South Asia and North Africa.
Hepatitis G is an RNA virus, similar to HCV. It is blood-borne but does not cause disease and can co-exist with other types of hepatitis. No treatment is required for hepatitis G.
Revised 2011.
