Hepatitis C in Children and Teenagers

What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common chronic blood borne infection in the United States. This virus was identified in 1989 and determined to be the cause of many cases of hepatitis transmitted through the blood supply. It is now known to be transmitted through intravenous drug use, and sexual exposure as well as during childbirth. With new tests, the risk of HCV from the blood supply is now about 0.001% per unit of blood. Pregnant women with HCV transmit the infection in approximately 5 out of every 100 infants.

What is the risk of hepatitis C?

In most cases, hepatitis C gradually damages the liver over 10 to 80 years. In some cases, the infection damages the liver more rapidly. In addition, if severe scarring or cirrhosis develops, this increases the chance of developing liver cancer.

How common is hepatitis C?

Most recent data indicate that approximately 4 million Americans have been infected with HCV. It is estimated that up to 85% of the people infected with HCV each year will remain chronically infected. As many as 70% of those infected with hepatitis C, are unaware that they carry the virus.

How does your health care provider know your child has hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C infection is detectable with blood tests to detect antibodies within 3 months in the majority of cases. Other evidence of infection can include elevation of blood levels of other liver tests, like bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). In addition to antibodies, the virus itself can be identified using a blood test called PCR or polymerase-chain reaction.

Testing for hepatitis C is advised for individuals who:

In infants, it is important to interpret blood tests for hepatitis C carefully as antibody-based tests may not be reliable in the first year of life. In individuals who have positive blood tests for hepatitis C, a liver biopsy is often recommended to determine the severity of liver damage and to determine whether treatment is needed.

How is hepatitis C treated?

Treatment of hepatitis C in children is similar to that in adults, though there have been fewer published studies. The treatments include interferon and ribavirin.

Side effects caused by interferon include "flu-like" symptoms, depression, headache, decreased appetite, and lowered blood counts. With ribavirin, the red blood cells may be decreased.

What precautions can be taken to prevent hepatitis C transmission?

People living with HCV infected individuals should avoid sharing personal items such as razors, toothbrushes, and nail clippers to reduce the risk of exposure to infected blood. There is no vaccine available to immunize individuals against this virus. Transmission of HCV can occur with sexual exposure; however, there is a low occurrence of HCV in long-term spouses of people with chronic hepatitis C virus who have no other risk factors for infection.

In general, women with HCV do not need to avoid breastfeeding according to the CDC. However, if the nipples are cracked or bleeding, abstaining from breastfeeding should be considered.

Additional suggestions:

You should call your child's healthcare provider if any of the following occur:

Specific Instructions:
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Office phone number: __________________________________________

Hepatitis C and Drug Treatment - What you need to know:

The treatments for hepatitis C have improved a great deal over the last 10 years. In individuals who need to be treated, cure rates are about 50%. There are some forms of hepatitis C (types 2 & 3) with higher cure rates. However, because the treatments have many possible side effects careful monitoring is required.