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Got a Tattoo? Get a Hepatitis C Test

divadiver

The global fad for tattoos, particularly among young people, is growing -- and along with it the risk of acquiring hepatitis C, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 124 published studies.

It was found that people with tattoos were almost THREE times more likely to have hepatitis C as those without tattoos, according to Jane Buxton, MD, of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, and colleagues.

Most of the time, both acute and chronic hepatitis C have no symptoms. However, chronic hepatitis C is a slowly progressive disease. The death rate from hepatitis C will soon surpass that from AIDS—and it can only get worse. Hepatitis C can mutate frequently, so different genetic variations can live within the host.

In recent years, tattoos have become increasingly popular. An estimated 36% of Americans under 30 have the skin designs, the researchers wrote. In Canada, they added, around 8% of high school students have at least one tattoo and among those without a tattoo, 21% are eager to get one.

Since tattoo instruments come in contact with blood and bodily fluids, infection is possible if instruments are used on more than one person without being sterilized or without proper hygiene, the researchers noted. Additionally, tattoo dyes are not kept in sterile containers and may also transmit infections, they wrote.