Hepatitis
Hepatitis A, B and C are infections caused by different viruses affecting
your liver. They are spread in different ways.
For
more information visit the
Hepatitis Education Project
Hepatitis
A
How
do you get it?
Hepatitis A passes between people via a “fecal/oral” route.
And no, you don’t have to eat shit: rimming
an infected partner can give you the virus, as can kissing. You also
risk infection when you take off that condom
and forget to wash your fingers before they end up in your mouth.
Likewise if you’ve been fingering someone’s ass without
using gloves. Eating raw shellfish from contaminated waters or food
prepared by infected workers can also give you Hepatitis A.
How
do you avoid it?
By getting vaccinated against it! Short of that, you can avoid rimming,
or use a dental dam, cut-open condom or non-microwaveable plastic wrap.
You can also make sure neither you nor your partner’s fingers
get in your mouth until after they’ve been washed thoroughly with
soap and water, although remember that fecal matter could travel from
ass to finger to other places, like your dick or his, before it reaches
your mouth. Bottom line: once you start playing with your partner’s
asshole, keep your mouth shut. Of course this means people who rim without
protection are at high risk for Hepatitis A.
Symptoms?
You might not notice any, but if they do appear, they usually do so
in 2 to 4 weeks: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, exhaustion and loss
of appetite. Also: yellow (jaundiced) skin and eyes, dark urine and
pale shit. This usually lasts about 1 to 4 weeks. About 1% of people
who get Hepatitis A get very sick. Some of these people die or require
liver transplantation. Hepatitis A does not cause a chronic infection.
Testing
and treatment
Your health care provider will collect a blood sample and get it tested.
There is no effective medication for Hepatitis A infection. You will
need to rest, eat well, and cut back on alcohol because of potential
serious liver damage.
HIV
connection?
Your liver processes most medication, so if you’re HIV-positive
you need to keep it healthy. If you’re infected with Hepatitis
A or B, you may have to go off anti-HIV drugs, so vaccination is a smart
move if you’re at risk.
What
else should you know?
A vaccine is available for Hepatitis A and B through most health care
providers or at a community clinic. Call the Seattle-King County HIV/STD
hotline at (206) 205-7837 for information and referrals.
- Avoid
having sex until your health care provider believes you are no longer
infectious.
- A low
fat diet is more readily digested when you are sick with Hepatitis.
- Once
you’ve recovered from Hepatitis A, you can’t pass on the
virus to others and you won’t catch it again.
Hepatitis
B
How
do you get it?
By getting an infected person’s blood or cum into your bloodstream
through unprotected
anal or oral sex, or by sharing infected needles and other injecting
equipment (such as those for tattooing and/or piercing). Unlike Hepatitis
A, you can’t get it through dirty plates or glasses.
How
do I avoid it?
By getting vaccinated against it! Short of that, by using a condom for
anal sex and possibly for oral
sex with an infected person, and by not getting an infected person’s
cum in your mouth.
Symptoms?
The same as for Hepatitis A, but they take up to six months to appear.
Again, they may not show up at all. Unlike Hepatitis A, some people
with Hep B become chronically infected. Most chronic Hepatitis B carriers
don’t have any symptoms, but they have an increased risk of developing
cirrhosis of the liver, which can be fatal.
Testing
and treatment
Your health care provider will test
for Hepatitis B by drawing a blood sample. Treatment for it is not given
for most self-limited infections (when symptoms last for only a few
months). So all you can do is rest and eat well. Alpha-Interferon injections
are the standard treatment for chronic Hepatitis B, though new drugs,
like limivudine, adefovir, and Emtricitabine are sometimes used as well.
HIV
connection
Hepatitis B is passed the same way as HIV, but much more easily. If
you contract it, you may also be putting yourself at risk for HIV infection
and might want to consider testing for that as well. If you have
HIV, you should consider the Hepatitis B vaccine. Though less effective
than in HIV-negative people, the vaccine still works for most people.
What
else should you know?
Approximately 5% of adults who acquire Hepatitis B become chronic carriers;
the majority of them show no symptoms but remain infectious and at-risk
for potentially deadly liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. If you
are a chronic Hepatitis B carrier, it is important to have your liver
checked regularly and avoid exposing others to your blood.
Hepatitis
C
How
do you get it?
Hepatitis C has symptoms and diagnosis similar to those of Hepatitis
B. Rates of chronic Hepatitis C are much higher, however, with 60-85%
of those with Hepatitis C becoming chronic carriers, and 5-20% develop
cirrhosis of the liver. Hepatitis C is primarily transmitted through
infected blood or shared needles; the role of sexual transmission in
Hepatitis C is controversial. Basically, it is possible to pass it through
unprotected anal or vaginal sex. An estimated 3.9 million Americans
are infected. Hepatitis C is the most common cause of liver transplants.
How
do you avoid it?
Sexually, by observing the same general rules of avoidance with infected
people as those for Hepatitis B or HIV. Otherwise, do not inject drugs
or use clean needles or other injecting equipment if you do.
Symptoms?
The same for Hepatitis A and B; they take between two weeks and six
months to show up. Many Hepatitis C patients never have symptoms. Chronic
Hepatitis C infection is associated with cirrhosis of the liver, which
increases the risk of liver cancer.
Testing
and treatment
Your health care provider draws a blood sample to determine if you are
positive for Hepatitis C and if so there is follow up with more complex
testing that reveals the strains and viral load of Hepatitis C that
can help with treatment issues. The therapy for chronic Hepatitis C
has evolved steadily since alpha interferon was first approved for use
in this disease more than 10 years ago. At the present time, the optimal
regimen appears to be a 24 or 48-week course of the combination of pegylated
alpha interferon and ribavirin. Treatment is successful in about 50%
of HIV-negative patients, but varies depending on viral type. Only 15-30%
of HIV-positive patients respond to treatment.
HIV
connection
Like with Hepatitis B, if you contract Hepatitis C you’re also
putting yourself at risk for HIV transmission. For the HIV-positive
people with Hepatitis C the rate of chronic infections is higher than
for people without HIV.
What
else should you know?
There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C. Most people with Hep C will carry
the virus in their blood for the rest of their life and can pass it
on to others. As with Hep B, Hepatitis C can also lead to liver cirrhosis
or cancer.
The
Hepatitis Education Project (HEP) offers
free Hepatitis C testing at their offices, located in The Maritime Building
at 911 Western Ave. #302 (between Marion and Madison). Currently, testing
is by appointment only. Please call (206) 732-0311 or (800) 218-6932
to set up an appointment. Or e-mail hepinfo@hepeducation.org.
There are
also other strains of Hepatitis – D through H, and counting –
that seem to have similar symptoms.
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