1. Hepatitis C BY SIERRA THOMPSON, MALIKA HICKS, & ROSHNI REHMAN

2. Causes  Hepatitis- inflammation of the liver  Liver disease caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV)  The virus is blood born

3. How is it spread?  Sex  Through infected needles  Sharing drugs  Through birth, passed on from mother to child  Spreads through blood and body fluids of infected person

4. Statistics  130 -150 million people worldwide have chronic HCV  3.2 million people in the United States have HCV  Number of people infected seems to increase each year, but there are roughly 19,000 new cases per year in the U.S  It is estimated that by 2036, 1 in 1,500 people will have Hepatitis C  With advances in treatments, cases of HCV are predicted to decrease

5. Statistics Estimated Actual New Cases of HCV (range) 2011 (estimated) * 2012 (estimated) * 2013 (estimated) * 16,500 (7,200- 43,400) 24,700 (19,600- 84,400) 29,700 (23,500- 101,400)

6. Who is at greatest risk?  People who have more sexual partners are at greater risk because the disease can be spread through sex  Drug users who share needles  The disease has been most common in middle aged people (ages 30-49)  75% of people living with hepatitis C were born between 1945 and 1965 (baby boomers)

7. Symptoms  Fever  Fatigue  Dark urine  Clay-colored stool  Abdominal Pain  Loss of appetite  Nausea  Vomiting  Joint pain  Jaundice  More often than not, people with HCV will not have any symptoms. Therefore, they must get a diagnosis at the doctor in order to find out if they have the disease. The possible symptoms are not unique to Hepatitis C.  If there are symptoms, they apply to both sexes.

8. Consequences  For women: - Higher risk of transmitting the disease when menstruating because of blood exposure  For men: - More likely to develop Cirrhosis (scarring of liver) - Less likely to have spontaneous clearance  For children: - Can be born with it - Can develop chronic hepatitis c if they do not get rid of it by the age of 2  Everyone: - If left untreated, people infected may develop hepatitis c encephalopathy (toxic buildup in the brain), arthritis, cryoglobulinemia, osteosclerosis, and glomerulonephritis.

9. Treatments  Treatments include: Ribavirin & Simeprevir (oral), Boceprevir, Telaprevir, & Interferon (injection)  Combinations of Bristol Meyer Squibb drugs daclatasvir, asunaprevir, & beclabuvir showed a 93% success rate  Side effects of treatments include: fever, headache, fatigue, aching muscles, diarrhea, dry mouth, mouth ulcers, flu-like reactions

10. Relationship to other STDs  Those who are HIV positive have a possibility of having Hepatitis C.  When people do have both, there is a lesser chance that they’ll be able to fight off both sicknesses.

11. Pictures

12. Extra Information  75% of those with Hepatitis C are baby boomers.  The illness is long-term for 70%-85% of those infected  1 out of every 100 people in the U.S. has HCV  There are about 15,000 deaths each year