Psychosocial aspects of living with hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus infecting over 170 million people worldwide. About 200 000 people in Australia are estimated to have chronic infection, with about 10 000 new infections yearly (Ministerial Advisory Committee, 2006). The most common cause of transmission (around 80%) is injecting drug use. Other causes include blood transfusions and other medical and dental procedures, either in Australia or overseas. Since 1990, when screening of blood for hepatitis C was implemented, causes other than drug injecting have become rarer. Hepatitis C infection has an uncertain disease course that varies from person to person. The most common symptom is fatigue, both mental and physical. Other symptoms include nausea, joint pain, depression and irritability.