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Your Hep C At Risk Profile

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Many people don't know how they got hepatitis C. That's not surprising considering that you can get hepatitis C in many ways, including events you may not think of as risky. People who have hepatitis C were infected through blood-to-blood contact with someone who has the disease. You may not even remember a specific time you may have gotten the virus. It can be decades before any symptoms appear!

Hepatitis C is not a judgment of you as a person. And the way you got hepatitis C doesn't change its effect on you or the way it is treated. All of the questions that will be asked are about ways you may have had blood-to-blood contact in the past.* Some of them are personal and may be uncomfortable for you to answer—but your future health is more important than any past actions.

This self-assessment tool utilizes aggregate (non-personally identifiable) information to help us understand trends and customer needs. For more information about our online privacy practices, click here.

*The following is not intended to be a complete list of risk factors.

  1. Have you ever used injection drugs (even once or a few times many years ago)?
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    Yes
    No

    Injection drug use is the cause of 60% of cases of hepatitis C. And one time with an infected needle is enough to spread the virus.

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  2. Have you ever inhaled drugs (such as cocaine) through a straw or other object?
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    Yes
    No

    Sharing contaminated straws may lead to blood-to-blood contact. (This type of transmission is less common than injection drug use.)

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  3. Have you ever had any tattoos or body piercings? (Tattoos include “street tattoos” or any other activity that involves piercing the skin.)
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    Yes
    No

    Exposure to the hepatitis C virus through the skin can lead to infection. If equipment or ink used in tattooing is contaminated it may be able to transmit the virus from one person's blood to another person's blood.

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    They were done outside a licensed business.

    They were done outside the United States.

    They were done more than 10 years ago.

    You are unsure whether the ink was individually wrapped.

    You were sick or felt ill in the days or weeks afterwards.

  4. Have you ever served in the military?
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    Yes
    No

    The U.S. Department of Defense concluded that “this age group includes 80% to 90% of troops with hepatitis C virus infection.” The government offers hepatitis C testing for personnel of this age as they separate or retire from military service. (If you are already out of the service you should get tested on your own—or contact your local VA office for help.)

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    You were born before 1966.

  5. Have you ever worked in a healthcare or emergency medical setting? (This includes positions in settings such as a medical lab or dental office).
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    Yes
    No

    Hepatitis C is spread by blood-to-blood contact, so any such exposure—even if you cannot remember it—may have led to infection.

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  6. Have you ever worked in a public safety field (police, fire, etc.)?
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    Yes
    No

    Hepatitis C is spread by blood-to-blood contact, so any such exposure—even if you cannot remember it—may have led to infection.

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  7. Have you ever lived with OR been in a relationship with someone who may have had hepatitis C or used injection drugs?
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    Yes
    No

    Sharing personal items (such as a toothbrush or a razor) is one way the virus can be spread. Hepatitis C may also be spread through unprotected sexual contact with someone who has the virus.

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    I lived with or had a relationship with someone who I knew had hepatitis C or used injection drugs.

    I lived with or had a relationship with someone who may have had hepatitis C or used injection drugs.

  8. Did your mother have (or may she have had) hepatitis C when you were born?
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    Yes
    No

    If your mother had hepatitis C when you were born it may have been passed to you.

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  9. Were you ever notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C OR were you ever notified by the Red Cross that your blood donation was rejected due to a positive test?
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    Yes
    No

    If you’ve had major surgery or transfusion prior to 1992, you should know that transfusion with infected blood puts you at great risk for contracting hepatitis C—that’s why all blood donations are tested now. If your blood donation was ever rejected, you should check with your doctor about what that may mean for you.

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  10. Have you ever been on long-term dialysis?
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    Yes
    No

    If dialysis equipment is not properly handled, contaminated blood can pass from one person who used the dialysis machine to a person who uses it later. Strict infection control practices are in place at all dialysis centers, but you should ask your doctor about hepatitis C testing.

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  11. Have you had unprotected sex with several different partners?
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    Yes
    No

    Possibly 15% of cases of hepatitis C may be spread through sexual exposure. The risk for transmitting the virus through sexual intercourse is low, but unprotected sex with several partners raises that risk.

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  12. Did you receive a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992 or clotting factor concentrates before 1987?
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    Yes
    No

    Transfusion with infected blood of blood products (like clotting factor concentrates) puts you at great risk for contracting hepatitis C. These materials were routinely tested after the dates listed but may not have been before.

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