Get the facts on hepatitis C

If a simple blood test could improve your long-term health or possibly save your life, would you have it done?

Testing for hepatitis C, which entails a basic blood draw and analysis, can be the difference between serious health complications later in life or a manageable — in some cases curable — condition.

Victoria Louwagie, physician assistant at Mayo Clinic Health System, explores questions and answers to help you understand more about chronic hepatitis C.

Q: What is hepatitis C?

A: It is a viral infection that targets the liver, leading to inflammation. Several hepatitis viruses exist, but hepatitis C is one of the most serious forms. Hepatitis A, B and C are different diseases.

Passed through contact with contaminated blood, hepatitis C is often contracted by sharing needles or snorting drugs. However, receiving a blood transfusion, clotting factor or organ transplant before 1992, getting piercings or tattoos in an unsterile environment, and having a history of incarceration, among other things, are also risks for hepatitis C.

Q: What are the symptoms?

• Bleeding easily.

• Bruising easily.

• Itchy skin.

• Fluid accumulation in your abdomen.

• Swelling in the legs.

• Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech.

• Spider-like blood vessels on your skin.

Q: Because symptoms usually don't appear until after hepatitis C has caused years of liver damage, the importance of screening is vital. Who should be tested?

A: Consider a hepatitis C test if you:

• Were born between 1945 and 1965 (includes the highest rate of infection in the general public).

• Had a tattoo done in an unprofessional and/or unsterile environment.

• Were ever incarcerated.

• Received a blood transfusion, organ transplant or clotting factor prior to 1992.

Talk to your health care provider if you have questions or concerns about being tested for hepatitis C.

Q: What are the potential complications of the disease?

• Cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver tissue, which impedes liver function.

• Liver cancer.

• Liver failure.

Q: Is treatment available?

A: Antiviral medications are available to treat and eliminate hepatitis C from your body. Older forms of these medications often elicited serious side effects like depression, flu-like symptoms and loss of healthy blood cells. New antiviral medications have a very low risk of side effects and better cure rates.