Hepatitis G is a benign virus that infects humans but does not cause liver damage. It is transmitted through blood and is commonly found in co-infections with other viruses such as HIV. There is no cure or recommended treatment, but getting enough rest, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding alcohol and other liver irritants are recommended. Recent studies suggest that hepatitis G may prolong the lives of HIV patients.
Hepatitis G virus (HGV), also known as GB-C virus (GBC), is a benign virus that infects humans, but has not been shown to cause disease. Although the virus lives in the blood and is genetically similar to hepatitis C, there is no indication that it causes liver damage like other types of hepatitis. It was first discovered in 1995 and is believed to infect between two and five percent of people worldwide.
Hepatitis G is known to cause a persistent infection in 15-30% of adults for up to nine years. Many times infected people do not realize they are carriers of the virus, because the symptoms are non-existent. It is commonly found in co-infections with other viruses, such as hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In fact, more than a third of people infected with HIV are also infected with hepatitis G.
The hepatitis G virus is transmitted through blood. Sharing personal care items such as razors and toothbrushes infected with the virus can spread the disease, as can sexual intercourse, from mother to child at birth, intravenous drug use or other blood-to-blood contact. The virus cannot be contracted through saliva, semen, or any other bodily fluids other than blood.
Some people are more at risk of getting hepatitis G than others. Hemodialysis patients, injecting drug users and healthcare workers who are regularly exposed to blood are at the highest risk of contracting the virus. Anyone who receives a tattoo, acupuncture or piercing is at medium risk, if the tools used are not properly sterilized.
Because hepatitis G was so recently discovered, there is no cure or recommended treatment. Research is currently underway on the virus, but little is known other than that it does not appear to cause liver damage. Individual response to the virus will vary, as will treatment options. However, getting enough rest, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding alcohol and other liver irritants are all recommended for hepatitis G sufferers.
Hepatitis G looks promising for HIV patients, according to several recent laboratory studies. It appears that patients infected with both HIV and hepatitis G live longer than patients infected with HIV alone. Scientists believe that the virus prevents HIV from replicating as frequently, thereby prolonging the patient’s life by inhibiting damage to the immune system.
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