Hepatitis C is a viral disease that leads to swelling (inflammation) of the liver.
Other types of viral hepatitis include:
Alternative Names
Sustained virologic response - hepatitis C; SVR - hepatitis C
Causes
Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

You can catch hepatitis C if the blood of someone who has hepatitis C enters your body. Exposure may occur:
- After a needle stick or sharps injury
- If blood from someone who has hepatitis C contacts a cut on your skin or contacts your eyes or mouth
People at risk of hepatitis C are those who:
- Inject street drugs or share a needle with someone who has hepatitis C
- Have been on long-term kidney dialysis
- Have regular contact with blood at work (such as a health care worker)
- Have unprotected sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis C
- Were born to a mother who had hepatitis C
- Received a tattoo or acupuncture with needles that were not disinfected properly after being used on another person (risk is very low with practitioners who have a tattoo license or permit or an acupuncture license)
- Received an organ transplant from a donor who has hepatitis C
- Share personal items, such as toothbrushes and razors, with someone who has hepatitis C (less common)
- Received a blood transfusion (rare in the United States since blood screening became available in 1992)