Hepatitis C Causes

Before a reliable test for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) became available in 1992, the disease was responsible for approximately 80% of hepatitis cases caused by blood transfusions. Today donor blood is tested regularly and the likelihood of becoming infected with HCV due to a transfusion has become very rare. The most common cause of HCV infection has become sharing needles used to inject illegal drugs.

The common causes of hepatitis C include:

• Being born to a mother who is infected.
  (The risk is less than 4%.)
• Getting a tattoo or a body piercing if the tools were used on an infected person.
  (The CDC is currently conducting a large study to evaluate if tattooing is a potential risk.)
• Having sex with a person who is infected.
  (Monogamous couples have a low rate of infection.)
• Having sex with multiple partners.
• Receiving a blood transfusion prior to July 1992.
• Receiving blood, blood products, or solid organs from an infected donor.
• Repeated workplace blood exposure (healthcare and public safety workers).
• Sharing needles to inject illegal drugs.
• Sharing personal care items (such as razors, toothbrushes, and nail clippers) with an infected person.
• Using long-term kidney dialysis.