Hepatitis C Facts & Statistics
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that three percent of the world's population is infected with Hepatitis C.
Most experts estimate that over four million people in the U.S. have Hepatitis C.
It is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S.
In the U.S., Hepatitis C is at least four times more prevalent than HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis C now kills more people than AIDS,
but because Hepatitis C often has few symptoms until it has done great damage to the liver, it has not received enough attention and funding.
Hepatitis C Testing Recommendations
CDC now recommends one-time hepatitis C testing of all adults (18 years and older) and all pregnant women during every pregnancy. CDC continues to recommend people with risk factors, including people who inject drugs, be tested regularly.
Over 25 percent of people in the U.S. with HIV/AIDS also have Hepatitis C.
Men who have sex with men (MSM), both with HIV and without HIV, continue to have high rates of HCV transmission.
Injection Drug Use and Hepatitis C
According to the CDC, injection drug use now accounts for at least 60 percent of HCV transmission in the United States.
Increases in prescription opioid misuse, injection drug use, and hepatitis C infections have been reported among youth and young adults in the USA, particularly in rural and suburban areas.
One in every 33 Baby Boomers is infected with Hepatitis C, and Baby Boomers make up two thirds of current Hepatitis C cases have risen due to drugs use, unsanitary body piercing and tattooing, and unsafe sexual practices.
The Hepatitis C virus is transmitted through direct blood-to-blood contact.
People most at risk are those who: have injected drugs; had transfusions, organ transplants, or hemodialysis before 1992; received clotting factors before 1989; are healthcare workers with needle stick or related exposure. Sexual practices that may involve injury, and even a trace amount of blood, can also transmit the virus. Other exposures, such as household contact (e.g. sharing razors or toothbrushes), unsanitary body piercing or tattooing, or lax medical practices, are possible but much less common routes of transmission.
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of death from liver disease in the U.S.
It accounts for an estimated one third of cases of primary liver cancer, and is the leading cause of end stage liver disease in the U.S. The incidence of these life-threatening conditions is increasing rapidly and will continue to increase as undiagnosed and untreated Hepatitis C patients age.
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S.
The need for liver transplants is increasing and is expected to continue to increase steadily for the next two decades unless increased screening and diagnosis and improved treatment for Hepatitis C are implemented. The average cost of a liver transplant in the U.S. is over $523,000.
Hepatitis C CAN BE CURED: Effective drugs to treat and eliminate the virus are available.
But these powerful treatments will only be effective if more people are screened, diagnosed, and provided with effective care and supportive services.
Many statistics are from the Institute of Medicine's 2010 report, Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C. Some statistics are from the WHO, CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and a 2010 report by The Trust for American Health and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (TFAH/AASLD), HBV and HCV: America's Hidden Epidemics.
Most experts estimate that over four million people in the U.S. have Hepatitis C.
It is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S.
In the U.S., Hepatitis C is at least four times more prevalent than HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis C now kills more people than AIDS,
but because Hepatitis C often has few symptoms until it has done great damage to the liver, it has not received enough attention and funding.
Hepatitis C Testing Recommendations
CDC now recommends one-time hepatitis C testing of all adults (18 years and older) and all pregnant women during every pregnancy. CDC continues to recommend people with risk factors, including people who inject drugs, be tested regularly.
Over 25 percent of people in the U.S. with HIV/AIDS also have Hepatitis C.
Men who have sex with men (MSM), both with HIV and without HIV, continue to have high rates of HCV transmission.
Injection Drug Use and Hepatitis C
According to the CDC, injection drug use now accounts for at least 60 percent of HCV transmission in the United States.
Increases in prescription opioid misuse, injection drug use, and hepatitis C infections have been reported among youth and young adults in the USA, particularly in rural and suburban areas.
One in every 33 Baby Boomers is infected with Hepatitis C, and Baby Boomers make up two thirds of current Hepatitis C cases have risen due to drugs use, unsanitary body piercing and tattooing, and unsafe sexual practices.
The Hepatitis C virus is transmitted through direct blood-to-blood contact.
People most at risk are those who: have injected drugs; had transfusions, organ transplants, or hemodialysis before 1992; received clotting factors before 1989; are healthcare workers with needle stick or related exposure. Sexual practices that may involve injury, and even a trace amount of blood, can also transmit the virus. Other exposures, such as household contact (e.g. sharing razors or toothbrushes), unsanitary body piercing or tattooing, or lax medical practices, are possible but much less common routes of transmission.
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of death from liver disease in the U.S.
It accounts for an estimated one third of cases of primary liver cancer, and is the leading cause of end stage liver disease in the U.S. The incidence of these life-threatening conditions is increasing rapidly and will continue to increase as undiagnosed and untreated Hepatitis C patients age.
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S.
The need for liver transplants is increasing and is expected to continue to increase steadily for the next two decades unless increased screening and diagnosis and improved treatment for Hepatitis C are implemented. The average cost of a liver transplant in the U.S. is over $523,000.
Hepatitis C CAN BE CURED: Effective drugs to treat and eliminate the virus are available.
But these powerful treatments will only be effective if more people are screened, diagnosed, and provided with effective care and supportive services.
Many statistics are from the Institute of Medicine's 2010 report, Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C. Some statistics are from the WHO, CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and a 2010 report by The Trust for American Health and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (TFAH/AASLD), HBV and HCV: America's Hidden Epidemics.