Comprehensive Care Management
Schedule your Hep C Test today: 855-936-HEPC (4372)
Don’t wait to find out if you have Hep C.
SCREENING is fast, TREATMENT is easy, and Hep C can be CURED.
Services We Offer
- FREE, rapid Hepatitis C Screening
- New Patient Walk-In Hours, Monday-Friday, 8 AM to 3 PM in the John G. Bartlett Specialty Practice
- Expert viral hepatitis clinical providers with a dedicated nurse team
- Non-invasive liver disease staging methods, including liver elastography (FibroScan)
- Coordination of services for international patients
- FDA approved treatment for hepatitis B and C
- Specialty care for those co-infected with HIV
- Individualized case management
- Specialty pharmacy services including pharmacotherapy support
- Access to new therapies and research opportunities
- 3 convenient clinical practice locations in the Baltimore area
- Telemedicine consultation in outlying Maryland counties
Types of Viral Hepatitis in the United States
| Type | Cause | Illness | Vaccine Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis A (HAV) | Contaminated food or water or transmitted from person-to-person by the fecal-oral route. | Usually a short-term illness that resolves within 2 months | Yes |
| Hepatitis B (HBV) | Blood, semen or other body fluid is transferred from an infected person to an uninfected person. This can be through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection equipment or mother-to-baby at birth. | Can be a short term (acute) or long term (chronic) illness. Can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, or death. | Yes |
| Hepatitis C (HCV) | Blood, semen or other body fluid is transferred from an infected person to an uninfected person. This can be through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection or snorting equipment or mother-to-baby at birth. | Can be a short term (acute) or long term (chronic) illness. Can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, or death. Treatment is available to cure Hepatitis C | No |
| Hepatitis D (Delta Hepatitis HDV) | Blood, semen or other body fluid is transferred from an infected person to an uninfected person. This can be through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection equipment or mother-to-baby at birth. Occurs only in people infected with hepatitis B. | Can be a short term (acute) or long term (chronic) illness. Can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, or death. | No, but prevented in uninfected people by HBV vaccine |
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. Approximately 1 million people in the US have chronic hepatitis B infection. Most people do not know they are infected and may be free of symptoms for many years.
The spread of hepatitis B occurs when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected. Hepatitis B is spread in the following ways:
- Birth (spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth)
- Sex with an infected partner
- Sharing needles, syringes, or drug preparation equipment
- Sharing items such as toothbrushes, razors or medical equipment such as a glucose monitor with an infected person
- Direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person
- Exposure to blood from needlesticks or other sharp instruments of an infected person
Blood tests are needed to diagnose hepatitis B and to determine whether or not a person is currently infected or has been infected in the past.
- Acute hepatitis B is a short-term illness that occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the virus. An acute infection can range in severity from a mild illness to a serious condition requiring hospitalization. Some people, especially adults, are able to clear the virus. People who clear the virus become immune and cannot get infected with the hepatitis B virus again. Acute infection can — but does not always — lead to chronic infection.
- Chronic hepatitis B is a lifelong infection with the hepatitis B virus. This can lead to serious health problems over time, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death.
People with chronic hepatitis B should be monitored for signs of liver disease and evaluated for possible treatment. Several medications have been approved for hepatitis B treatment to control the amount of virus in the body as a means to prevent liver damage over time. There is no cure for hepatitis B but new drugs are in development.
Hepatitis B | Elimination on the Horizon
Hepatitis C
Current treatment can cure people of the Hepatitis C virus.
Treatment usually involves 8-12 weeks of oral therapy (pills), usually well tolerated by patients.
Approximately 4 million people have hepatitis C in the USA.
People with Hepatitis C may be free of symptoms for many years and may not know they have a Hepatitis C infection.
What is Hepatitis C and Why Should You Care?
Hepatitis C is a viral infection causing liver disease. Over 3 million people in the US are infected with hepatitis C and over half remain undiagnosed. The Johns Hopkins Viral Hepatitis Center is here to help more people get tested, treated and cured of this life-threatening disease.
From Cirrhosis to a Hepatitis C Cure - William's Story
This is the story of William who never worried about his hepatitis C infection until he developed severe itching throughout his body. He entered into care in the Johns Hopkins Viral Hepatitis Center’s outpatient clinical program located in the Bartlett Specialty Practice where he was diagnosed with advanced liver disease from chronic hepatitis C infection. This video describes his journey from symptomatic liver disease to treatment to a cure.
Hepatitis C is Curable
Hepatitis C is Curable and the Johns Hopkins Viral Hepatitis Center is here to help. Treatments for hepatitis C have evolved from injections combined with pills causing severe side effects to a simple, well-tolerated, once-a-day oral medication for a short duration.
FibroScan
FibroScan (transient liver elastography) is a non-invasive, painless method of staging liver disease. Using ultrasound, the machine measures fibrosis (scarring) and steatosis (fatty change) in your liver. The patient is asked to lie on their back, with their right arm over their head. The FibroScan operator uses a probe to send sound waves into the patient’s liver, measuring the stiffness of the liver. FibroScan and blood tests are used by health care providers to diagnose and follow up patients with liver disease.
