With a Jaundiced Eye

Yesterday, I attended the Texas Viral Hepatitis Summit in Austin.  Good times!  But seriously, it was an informative if not infuriating experience.  Here are the highlights and lowlights from that meeting:

Hep B, transmitted in the same ways as HIV (unprotected sex, mother to child, sharing needles) is 100x more infectious than HIV.  And Hep C, transmitted through blood contact (as in sharing needles or some forms of sex) is also more infectious than HIV.

Viral hepatitis infections can occur as either acute (get sick and get over it) or chronic (long-term, even life-long) infections.  Chronic hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer and even death.

4x more Americans (over 4 million) are living with chronic Hep B or Hep C  than are living with HIV/AIDS.  However, HIV gets way more press coverage and way more money for prevention and treatment programs.  Most of our citizens don’t know much about viral hepatitis and the Texas Department of State Health Services budget for viral hepatitis, for the ENTIRE state of Texas, is just $261,000! 

That doesn’t pay for much education, screening or treatment, does it?!

Until our state decides to make a commitment to fighting viral hepatitis, there are some things you can do to protect yourself…

1.  Wear a condom every time you have sex.  Hep B can be transmitted via sexual fluids, so unprotected sex is risky.  

2.  Both Hep B and Hep C viruses are found in the blood of infected persons.  So, don’t share needles or works for any purpose – shooting drugs, tattooing, body piercing, allergy shots, whatever. 

3. The Hep B and Hep C viruses, unlike HIV, can survive in dried blood for several hours to several days.  Therefore, it is advised that one avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors, nail clippers, or other personal hygiene items.

4.  Get vaccinated against Hep B.  (No vaccine currently exists for Hep C.)

And if you happen to be infected with Hep B or Hep C, there are things you can do to stay healthy longer.  For starters, get to the doctor.  And not just your primary care physican.  Go to see a hepatologist – a liver specialist. 

If you are an appropriate candidate, get treatment for your chronic hepatitis infection.  Treatment isn’t always effective, and it is accompanied by serious side effects, but it does clear the virus for many patients.  However, if you don’t have insurance or a sugar daddy, affording treatment may be difficult.  It costs $3,000 – $5,000 monthly!

Another way you can help yourself stay healthy with hepatitis is to stop drinking alcohol!  Period.  Alcohol is hard on a healthy liver, much less one dealing with a chronic viral infection.  Also, it is recommended that persons with chronic hep drink lots of water, eat several small meals, and be careful with over the counter medications like Tylenol.

Until next time, stay healthy and be safe!

Kelly