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Because hepatitis C is spread from person to person through exposure to HCV-infected blood, activities that increase your chance of exposure are considered risk factors.
The most common risk factors for hepatitis C are intravenous (IV) drug use and blood or blood product transfusions before 1992.
Those who inject drugs are at high-risk for getting hepatitis C because they may be sharing needles and other drug paraphernalia, which may be contaminated with HCV-infected blood. In fact, 60% to 80% of all IV drug users have hepatitis C infection.
Those who have had a blood transfusion before 1992 and hemophiliacs who have received clotting factor before that time are at risk because blood banks did not fully test the blood supply for hepatitis C before that year. Today, however, the risk of getting hepatitis C from a blood transfusion is almost zero.
Other risk factors include tattooing and body piercing. Tattooing dye or needles used in tattooing or body piercing can carry HCV-infected blood from one customer to another if the tattoo/body piercing parlors do not use sterile techniques or supplies.
Other risk factors include needlestick injuries, especially among health care workers, hemodialysis (equipment that filters blood may not be adequately sterilized between patients), and organ transplant before 1992.
Although hepatitis is not easily spread through sexual intercourse, high-risk sexual behavior, especially having multiple sexual partners, is associated with an increased risk of getting hepatitis C.
If you think you might be at risk for being infected with hepatitis C, take a few moments to answer our hepatitis C risk assessment questionnaire.
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