Men with multiple sex partners run a relatively high risk of infecting themselves with a hepatitis virus that can lead to serious health complications depending on the type of hepatitis virus involved. What kind of risk situations there are and how you can best protect yourself are briefly explained below.
What is "Hepatitis"?
Hepatitis is a disease of the liver (= "hepar" in Greek) which is the organ responsible for the exchange and transformation of substances in the body. A number of liver diseases are caused by viruses which explicitly target the liver. There are a number of types of these viruses: Hepatitis A Virus (HAV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and so on. We will focus here on Hepatitis A, B and C because they are the most frequent types and are also sexually transmissible.
Hepatitis A
Type of transmission: mainly fecal-oral - i.e. transmission of hepatitis A virus through contaminated water in areas with poor sanitary conditions and through oral-anal sexual contact (rimming/ass licking).
Symptoms: often there are no symptoms or only slight ones similar to flu (fever, tiredness, nausea, loss of appetite). In a few cases there may be jaundice symptoms (yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark urine and light coloration of the stool/shit). Symptoms usually last around 4 weeks.
Treatment: No specific therapy available. Keep off alcohol, medicines that affect the liver, and drugs.
Protection: Excellent protection with Hepatitis A vaccination (can be combined with Hepatitis B vaccination).
Hepatitis B
Type of transmission: mainly through sexual contact and through blood.
Symptoms: in the acute phase often with no symptoms or flu-like symptoms (fever, tiredness, nausea, loss of appetite) and abdominal pain. In approx. one third of all cases jaundice symptoms (yellowing of skin and eyes, dark urine and light coloration of stool/shit). Chronic infection occurs in around 5% of all cases (or 25% of those infected with HIV). Symptoms usually last from 4-6 weeks.
Treatment: no specific therapy in the acute phase. Keep off alcohol, medicines that affect the liver and drugs. If you have chronic hepatitis you may need a course of therapy.
Protection: Excellent protection with Hepatitis B vaccination (can be combined with Hepatitis A vaccination). Using condoms minimizes risk of transmission.
Hepatitis C
Type of transmission: through blood and blood contact (also from injecting drug use); transmission also possible through sexual contact. People with an immunodeficiency syndrome (e.g. people with HIV) are more liable to infection.
Symptoms: In 50-80% of cases acute hepatitis C has no symptoms. In 10-20% of cases flu-like symptoms appear and in 10% of cases jaundice symptoms occur (yellowing of skin and eyes, dark urine, light coloration of stool/shit). 50-80% of cases involve chronic hepatitis C which can result in serious liver damage after several years. Otherwise symptoms last up to 6 months. Chronic hepatitis C in conjunction with a HIV infection can result in quicker liver damage and complications.
Treatment: drug-based therapy.
Protection: Condoms reduce the risk of transmission during sexual contact. Avoid coming into contact with blood (use rubber gloves especially for fist fucking); do not share syringes and needles for IV drug use. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Vaccination against Hepatitis A and B
You can protect yourself by getting vaccinated against hepatitis A and B. There is no vaccination against hepatitis C! The Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe recommends vaccination against hepatitis A and B. However, if you've already had hepatitis A or B (and possibly haven't even noticed it!) you will be immune to renewed infection. That's why before getting vaccinated you should always get a check-up with your doctor to see whether you already have hepatitis A/B antigens (or to see if you still are immunized from an earlier vaccination!). There's no need to put an unnecessary burden on your immune system, especially if you are already HIV positive.
There is a difference between “active” and “passive” forms of vaccination. In an active vaccination harmless virus fragments (inactivated or “dead” vaccine) stimulate the body to produce its own antigens. The incubation period for these antigens lasts around one month and they generally offer a ten year period of immunity. In a passive vaccination antigens are directly injected into the body. Immunity is immediate but the period of immunity only lasts from one to three months.
Vaccination and HIV
An HIV positive status is no hindrance to getting vaccinated. But the success of the vaccination will depend on the state of your immune system. About 30% of HIV positive people show an insufficient reaction to a hepatitis B vaccination. If the vaccination is not effective, repeat vaccination with higher doses in several stages is recommended. Thus it is vital that when you have been vaccinated you should always get a check-up to see that the vaccination has been successful. Vaccination should always be carried out by an experienced doctor.
Vaccination: What it Costs
The Robert Koch Institute and the World Health Organization recommend that people who are at higher risk of infection should be vaccinated against Hepatitis B. This includes people who inject drugs, people who are sexually active with different sex partners, and dialysis patients. You do not have to tell your doctor about your sexual orientation, it's enough to say that you may be at risk. Often your health insurance scheme will cover the costs. If your risk of infection is higher because of your job (e.g. hospital personnel) perhaps your employer will pay the costs for you.
IN SHORT
The best protection against hepatitis A and B is vaccination. To date the best protection against hepatitis C is safer sex and safer use
- Fuck with a condom
- Don't get sperm in your mouth
- Use rubber gloves for fist fucking
- If you use drugs use your own sterilized equipment (not only sterilized syringes and needles for IV drug users but also sterilized notes, tubes etc for drug sniffing).
http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/know-your-hepatitis-abcs1/
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