C alone. Another study found that the rate of hepatic carcinomas in co-infected patients was four times that of patients who had hepatitis C alone. Several studies have demonstrated that the hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses interact with each other in the body, and so can affect immune responses. Being infected with hepatitis C can suppress the replication of the hepatitis B virus, and the reverse is also true. It is even possible for each virus to inhibit the other simultaneously, or to alternate which inhibits the other. It is important to remember that this does not mean that the inhibited virus is gone from the body. Instead, its effects may be hidden or halted until the other virus is treated, and then may flare up again. This means that a doctor who knows you and your medical history is particularly important, so that he or she can determine which form of treatment is best. There are well-established treatments for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C, but there are not for those who are co-infected with both.
However, there is a reasonable amount of evidence to suggest that the treatments used for hepatitis C alone are also good treatments for co-infection. One study showed that, using Interferon plus Ribavirin treatment, there was a hepatitis C clearance rate of 43% for co-infected patients, compared with 60% for those with hepatitis C alone. Other studies have shown that assessing which (if any) of the viruses is “dominant” (preventing the other from replicating) in a co-infected person is helpful in determining which treatment method to use. Caution should also be exercised, as treating one virus may cause the other one to “flare”, as it is no longer being prevented from replicating. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little research done on co-infection of hepatitises B and C. The best summary article available online is by Seth Crockett and Emmet Keeffe, and can be found at http://www.ann-clinmicrob.com/ content/4/1/13.
Hepatitis SA
Ph 1300 437 222 or (08) 8362 8443 Fax (08) 8362 8559 3 Hackney Rd Hackney SA 5069 PO Box 782 Kent Town SA 5071 www.hepsa.asn.au
Hepatitis B/ Hepatitis C Co-infection
Last update: September 2012 SA Health has contributed funds towards this Program.
A Beginner’s Guide
There are several different hepatitis viruses, which are contracted in different ways. All of them involve inflammation of the liver. They share similar symptoms, such as nausea, jaundice, low-grade fever and abdominal pain.
one kind, you should still take precautions against contracting any other hepatitis viruses.
To make things more complicated, the viruses may also work against one another in the body.
There are even some viruses you can only contract when you already have another virus. For example, only those who already have hepatitis B can contract hepatitis D.
Co-infection is infection with another virus when one is already present. This fact sheet discusses co-infection of hepatitis C with hepatitis B. When this happens, the presence of both viruses in the body can complicate a person’s health and change their treatment outcomes.
Having combined chronic hepatitis C and hepatitis B can lead to more severe liver disease and an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinomas—malignant cancers of the liver.
A co-infected person is at risk of higher rates of cirrhosis (scarring and damage of the liver) and hepatic decompensation (failure of the liver to compensate for any damage, resulting in decreased liver function). One study has found that co-infected patients had double the rate of cirrhosis compared with patients who had hepatitis
Different people will experience the effects of co-infection in different ways. It is important to discuss your case with a knowledgeable doctor or nurse in order to ensure that you get the best treatment possible.
B and C?!!
You should also be checked for other viruses, as it is possible to have a hepatitis/ HIV co-infection, or even a co-infection involving hepatitises B, C and D. Each virus present will affect the way treatment needs to be administered.
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Alternatively, a person with one of the viruses may be unlucky enough to contract another one at a later time. This means that, even if you already have hepatitis of
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Because hepatitises B and C can be transmitted by infected blood, they may both be contracted simultaneously.