Follow
Please add profiles of those who died of hepatitis to this project.
Hepatitis is a hidden epidemic with significant public health consequences. An estimated 3.5-5.3 million persons are living with viral hepatitis in the United States, and millions more are at risk for infection.
Viral hepatitis refers to a viral infection of the liver tissues. Different viruses can attack the liver. Hepatitis A, B, and C are the most common, but there are also hepatitis D and E. They are transmitted differently depending on the virus in question, by the accidental ingestion of feces, bodily fluids such as saliva, blood, or sexual secretions, and have various effects. They can be acute, meaning they occur at a given moment and disappear on their own as most cases of hepatitis A, or become chronic after infection, such as in hepatitis C, or more rarely hepatitis B. Acute viral hepatitis usually appears with flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain, headache and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms appear, and a yellow discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes called jaundice. Chronic hepatitis is more serious, with possible progression to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Note that other viruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) or herpes virus can give hepatitis.
Hepatitis C virus — not AIDS-causing HIV — is the leading chronic virus infection leading to death in the United States, and its victims most often are baby boomers. More than half who are infected do not know it.
Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in a study published in the February 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine that hepatitis C had overtaken HIV as a cause of death in the United States by 2007.
Deaths in the United States due to HIV infection have been steadily decreasing, and dropped below 13,000 in 2007, while deaths from hepatitis C infection have been steadily increasing, first surpassing 15,000 per year in 2007.
The good news, according to UCSF liver specialist Alex Monto, MD, is that there has been progress in fighting both diseases, and the kinds of drug combination strategies that have done so much to transform HIV infection from a death sentence to a manageable disease are poised to further boost cure rates for those infected with hepatitis C.
How many people are affected by hepatitis B?
Worldwide, 2 billion people (1 out of 3 people) have been infected with hepatitis B. 400 million people have become chronically infected (which means they are unable to get rid of the virus). An estimated 1 million people die each year from hepatitis B and its complications.
In the United States, over 12 million people have been infected (that’s 1 out of 20 people). Almost 100,000 new people are infected with hepatitis B each year. An estimated 5,000 Americans die each year from hepatitis B and its complications.
notables living with Hepatitis C
Don't add to this project unless they are deceased! Just link the profile name.
From Famous People with Hepatitis C
- Gregg Allman
- Pamela Anderson
- Natalie Cole
- David Crosby
- Allen Ginsberg
- Dusty Hill (ZZ Top)
- Etta James
- Naomi Judd
- Evel Knevel
- Christopher Lawford
- David Marks
- Mickey Mantle
- Gomer Pyle
- Keith Richards
- Steve Tyler
More: Famous people who died of hepatitis: more: Deaths from hepatitis
Publications and resources on Viral Hepatitis:
- http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/hepatitis/en/
- http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/resources/
- Hepatitis fact sheets
- Combating the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis: Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis
jump back to Cause of death portal
this project is in HistoryLink
