Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgial Group, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning for Medical Matters.
Hepatitis B and C both affect the liver and Hepatitis C can be very quiet.
Sommer explained it “is much more likely to become long term if left untreated. Both are spread through blood exposure. Both can damage the liver. But here’s the key difference, we have a vaccine for hepatitis B, but we have no vaccine for hepatitis C. However, Hepatitis C can be cured completely. Hepatitis B can only be controlled. So think of hepatitis B as something you can prevent, and Hepatitis C as something you can treat and eliminate. I talk about all the time what is the biggest things in in medicine is, can we treat it? Can we prevent it? When you look at a disease process, do we have a treatment for it? Do we have prevention for it? I know I say there’s never a cure. Hepatitis C, you can be cured, one of the few things that can be eliminated if you catch it early enough and get treatment. Hepatitis B is very common. It’s less common than hepatitis C, however, someone who is HIV positive, more specifically, men who have sex with men, are more common to get hepatitis C through sexual contact.”
Mother to baby transmission of hepatitis C is pretty rare.
Sommer said, “This was big back when, I want to say the 80s and the 90s. I mean, HIV kind of kind of stopped this, but shared needles and tattoo needles, yes, both can be transmitted through sharing needles, toothbrushes, anything that can break the skin, and if you share razors, both can be passed on that way, from one person to another.”
Sexual transmission of hepatitis C is more prevalent when HIV is present.
Sommer said, “Here in Key West, we do have a very big LGBTQ community. We do have gay men, bisexual men, and women, if, depending on your sexual preference, and if you have HIV, you can be more susceptible to contract hepatitis C.”
What are the symptoms?
Sommer said, “Early symptoms can be with hepatitis B, like we talked about, fatigue, nausea, dark urine, yellow skin and hepatitis C, there really are no early symptoms. So chance of chronic infection and hepatitis B, 5, to 10% adults have chronic infection. Hepatitis C, if left untreated, 75 to 85% of cases can have chronic infection, meaning it can damage the liver, causing cancer and cirrhosis and so forth, which leads to can it cause cirrhosis of the liver? Yes, hepatitis B, if it’s chronic, and yes, hepatitis C, if it is untreated. I always say pigment is pesky, so are silent infections. Because you can look perfectly healthy while the liver is quietly going through some damage.”
Testing is very important.
Sommer said, “We talked about getting your surface antigens and antibodies detected for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Just know that hepatitis B, like we talked about, you can prevent it. There is a vaccine. It’s a three dose series, while hepatitis C has none. Hepatitis B is not curable, but manageable. And Hepatitis C is curable with eight to 12 weeks of oral antivirals. That’s medication that you take to eradicate the disease. Between two to three months. But two to three months gives you back your liver. This is pretty amazing, because years ago, I knew, healthcare workers who had needle sticks, again, back in the 80s and 90s, contracted hepatitis C and there was no treatment. They died. They ultimately died. So the fact that there is a cure for it is pretty amazing. We’ve come a long way in medicine.”
Detection is also really important.
Sommer said, “When you have hepatitis B, or if you’ve had the vaccine, they’ll do a blood test to see whether, they can tell whether there’s an active infection, a chronic infection, if you’ve had the infection and cleared it, or if you have antibodies to hepatitis B because you were vaccinated. The blood test gives a lot of information, and that will dictate your course over your lifetime, of what you have to do if you’ve ever been exposed to hepatitis B or C.”
How can you prevent hepatitis?
Sommer said, “Hepatitis B, you can get vaccinated. We talked about that already. Always practice safe sex and use condoms, especially important for gay and bisexual men and those with HIV, you are just more susceptible to hep B and hep C. Never, ever, ever share needles, razors, toothbrushes or tattoo equipment. Choose licensed professionals when you are looking to get a tattoo or piercing, especially in studios, make sure that it’s a reputable place that you’re having them stick a needle in your body. Avoid heavy alcohol use and maintain a liver friendly diet. That means veggies and lean protein. If you have had any risk factors, talk to your doctor about it and get tested. It’s really easy to get tested. You could just ask for it. You don’t even have to disclose your lifestyle. Just say, can I get tested for it, along with HIV? A lot of times, if you do ask for STD testing, they will do it all. So you can have it all done in one shot. Just remember, Hepatitis B is preventable because there’s a vaccine, and Hepatitis C is curable because of the new antiviral medications that are available, but if it’s ignored, they can lead to serious liver disease, cirrhosis and cancer. So we don’t want that. It’s really based on, you have to be honest with yourself of what your lifestyle is and just living in reality and just being real and being honest with your provider. It’s very easy to get a blood test, not hard at all.”
For more information on how Key West Surgical Group can help, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/