Hi there,i'm new here and my boyfriend has Hep C and i was wondering if anyone can answer a question for me ? Last week when we were kissing we both tasted blood in our mouths and when we checked it seemed to be coming from his mouth or gums and i have a broken tooth in my mouth, do you think i should be concerned about this? Thank you for any help i can get!

Hi there,i'm new here and my boyfriend has Hep C and i was wondering if anyone can answer a question for me ? Last week when we were kissing we both tasted blood in our mouths and when we checked it seemed to be coming from his mouth or gums and i have a broken tooth in my mouth, do you think i should be concerned about this? Thank you for any help i can get!


Getting tested is always a good idea whether the risk is high or not. I do not believe that risk factors are the reason to test. I think everyone should be tested.

I hope this helps,

thanbey

Thanks for that but i guess i forgot to say that i was tested about six months ago and it came back negative! So i guess what i'm my question really is: does this experience put me at a higher risk and should i be tested again?

Thanks for that but i guess i forgot to say that i was tested about six months ago and it came back negative! So i guess what i'm my question really is: does this experience put me at a higher risk and should i be tested again?


The recommended protocol for testing is to have two tests at least 6 months apart, preferable one year apart. So, I would consider another test in about 6 months. In the meantime, avoid alcohol as it has been implicated in seroconversion. That is, being exposed to hepc may be less likely to turn into an actual infection in the absence of alcohol.

best regards,

thanbey

Thanbey,

Please expand upon your comment relative to alcohol use and seroconversion.

Thanks,

madhayseed

Thanbey,

Please expand upon your comment relative to alcohol use and seroconversion.

Thanks,

madhayseed


I have heard it theorized ( by hepatologists) in a number of postgraduate courses on hepC that someone who is under the influence of alcohol or who consumes alcohol following exposure to hepC may have a greater risk of seroconversion, rather than fighting the virus off naturally. Surely, the logic is there.

Alcohol + hepC = higher viral load. Alcohol has, time and again, been associated with increased viral replication, so exposure to alcohol and hepC may be an expressway to seroconversion and chronic infection.

This was one possibility raised in the study of tattooing and hepC done at Texas Southwest by Haley, et al that was presented to the American Public Health Association.

thanbey

Thanbey,

Thank you. I understand.