Who is Affected by Hepatitis?

Anyone can be infected with Hepatitis, regardless of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. some groups of people are more at risk because hepatitis is more common within their group, or because of an existing health condition. Gay, Bi and other men who have sex with men are more likely to be infected with Hepatitis. People who inject drugs are more likely to come into contact with Hepatitis, and people who travel to places that are not as clean are also at risk. People living with HIV are also more at risk of Hepatitis as well.

Hepatitis A

How is it transmitted?

Hepatitis A can be transmitted by coming in to contact with the virus in a number of ways. These include:

• Sex with an infected person
• Rimming in particular, as Hepatitis A can be found in fecal matter(poo)
• Eating or drinking contaminated food or water
• Using contaminated cutlery
• Touching contaminated surfaces and the placing your hands in or around your mouth
• Sharing sex toys with someone with the virus

Using condoms and dental dams during sex can reduce the risk of catch Hepatitis A. It is important to always use a condom with sex toys, and to change the condom between partners also. You can get vaccinated against Hepatitis A if you are travelling to another country where there is more risk of Hepatitis A, and also if you are a man who has sex with men.

What are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of hepatitis A typically develop a few weeks after a person is infected but not everyone will experience them. The symptoms you may get include:

• feeling tired or generally unwell
• joint and muscle pain
• a high temperature (fever)
• loss of appetite
• nausea and vomiting
• abdominal pain or discomfort, especially in the area of your liver on your right side beneath your lower ribs
• yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• dark urine and pale bowel motions
• itchy skin

Testing and Treatment

If you suspect that you have contracted Hepatitis A it’s a good idea to get a blood test to confirm this - as it has similar symptoms to some more serious conditions.You can test for Hepatitis B at your local Sexual Health Clinic, and also at our full screening Clinic on Mondays.For more information on testing, please visit http://lgbt.foundation/testing .

Hepatitis A can take 2 to 7 weeks from infection to show in tests, so if you think you have had a risk incident more recently than that, it will not show in the tests.

Your body will clear Hepatitis A on its own, normally within a couple of months. As a result, there is no treatment available, but there are some things you can do to reduce the symptoms during recovery:

• Get lots of rest
• Take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve aches and pains
• Eat smaller, lighter meals to help reduce any nausea or vomiting
• Avoid alcohol as it can put additional strain on your liver - speak to your GP about when it’s safe to drink again

If the symptoms have not improved within a couple of months, you should go and talk to your GP, as it could be something else

People with Hepatitis A are at risk of getting Hepatitis B also, so sometime emergency treatment for Hepatitis may be given soon after possible exposure to stop a Hepatitis B infection developing. This could be either a dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine or a Hepatitis B immunoglobulin, which is a preparation of antibodies that work against the Hep B virus.

Hepatitis B

How is it transmitted?

Hepatitis B can be transmitted by coming in to contact with the virus in a number of ways. These include:

• Sexual contact with an infected partner
• Sharing needles, syringes or other drug injection equipment
• Sharing items such as razorblades or toothbrushes with an infected person
• Direct contact with the blood or open sores of the infected person
• Catching it from a mother during birth

Using condoms and dental dams during sex can reduce the risk of catch Hepatitis B. It is important to always use a condom with sex toys, and to change the condom between partners also. You can also get vaccinated against Hepatitis B if you are travelling to another country, where there is thought to be more risk, and also if you are a man who has sex with men.

What are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of hepatitis B typically develop a few weeks after a person is infected but not everyone will experience them. The symptoms you may get include:

• Abdominal pain
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness and fatigue
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Dark Urine and Pale bowel movements

Testing and Treatment

If you think that you have Hepatitis B it’s a good idea to get a blood test to confirm this. You can test for Hepatitis B at your local Sexual Health Clinic, and also at our full screening Clinic on Mondays.For more information on testing, please visit http://lgbt.foundation/testing .

Hepatitis B can take up to 6 weeks from infection to show in tests, so if you think you have had a risk incident more recently than that, it will not show in the tests.

Your body will often clear Hepatitis B on its own, normally within a couple of months. As a result, there is no treatment available, but there are some things you can do to reduce the symptoms during recovery:

• Get lots of rest
• Take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve aches and pains
• Eat smaller, lighter meals to help reduce any nausea or vomiting
• Avoid alcohol as it can put additional strain on your liver - speak to your GP about when it’s safe to drink again

Most people recover completely in a couple of months, but you'll be advised to have regular blood tests to check that you're free of the virus and haven't developed chronic hepatitis B.

Treating Chronic Hepatitis B

If blood tests show that you still have hepatitis B after six months, your doctor may recommend medication to reduce the risk of complications of hepatitis B and regular tests to assess the health of your liver.

Treatment is usually offered if:

• your immune system is unable to control the hepatitis B by itself
• there's evidence of ongoing liver damage

Hepatitis B medications can help keep the virus under control and stop it damaging your liver, although they won't necessarily cure the infection and some people need lifelong treatment.

Living with Hepatitis B

If you have hepatitis, you should:

• avoid having unprotected sex – including anal and oral sex, unless you're sure your partner has been vaccinated against hepatitis B
• avoid sharing needles used to inject drugs with other people
• take precautions to avoid the spread of infection – such as not sharing toothbrushes or razors with other people; close contacts such as family members may need to be vaccinated
• eat a generally healthy, balanced diet – there's no special diet for people with hepatitis B
• avoid drinking alcohol – this can increase your risk of developing serious liver problems

Hepatitis C

How is it transmitted?

Hepatitis C can be transmitted by coming in to contact with the virus in a number of ways. These include:

Using condoms and dental dams during sex can reduce the risk of catch Hepatitis C from sex. It is important to always use a condom with sex toys, and to change the condom between partners also..

What are the Symptoms?

There are two stages of Hepatitis C, Acute and Chronic. symptoms of Acute Hepatitis C typically include:

• Jaundice
• Abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Fatigue/tiredness

After 6 months Hepatitis C is said to be in the chronic stage. The virus is still active although some people have no symptoms. Signs and symptoms or the chronic stage include:

• More extreme tiredness
• Depression
• Memory and concentration problems
• Moodswings
• Digestive problems
• Joint and muscles aches and pains
• Headaches
• Flu like symptoms
• Pain in the liver area
• Stomach pains
• Itching

Longer term, over about 20 to 30 years, around one in five people with Hepatitis C will develop Cirrhosis (liver scarring). The liver function will reduce and the liver may stop working all together resulting in a person needing a liver transplant.

Testing and Treatment

If you think that you have Hepatitis C it’s a good idea to get a blood test to confirm this - as it is important to begin treatment as soon as possible. You can test for Hepatitis C at a Sexual Health Clinic.

Hepatitis C can take 8 to 9 weeks from infection to show in tests, so if you think you have had a risk incident more recently than that, it will not show in the tests.

For some people Hepatitis C will naturally clear on its own, but it is more likely to develop into Chronic Hepatitis C, so it is better to test frequently.

Effective treatment for hepatitis C is available and can permanently clear hepatitis C from the blood and prevent further liver damage. Once you are diagnosed with hepatitis C it is important to get a prompt referral to a liver specialist. They can give you information about the risks and benefits of treatment.

Treatment can take a long time and can have side effects, so it is important you know that treatment is right for you before starting on it. Treatment will usually last for between 6 to or 12 months, depending on the strain of hepatitis C you have and will consist of a combination of different drugs taken for some or all of this time. Access to a new class of powerful anti-viral drugs which can quickly clear Hep C infection is currently limited on the NHS, currently only 10,000 patients per year are prescribed these drugs due to the high cost of the treatment.