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Fear Of Getting Hep C After Sharing Pipe
Posted on
Thu, 15 Sep 2011
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 15 Sep 2011
Answered on
Tue, 5 Jun 2012
Last reviewed on
Question : Dr,
I posted this a day ago to Dr HHH and he said it was extremely low risk. I just want one more opinion. I was drunk in Vegas and shared a pipe for meth with an escort. I did nothing sexual and did not even take off my clothes. I have no reason why I did this as I only have smoked pot before in my life. Now I am losing sleep over possibly getting Hep C. I have read her blood could have mixed with my blood from the pipe in our mouths. I did not use IV drugs at all or ever. I dont think she ever has but really dont know for sure. How common is what I did for spreading the disease? She said she was disease free but she might not know about Hep C, right? Let me know how worried I should be over this encounter. Everything I read online says it can be transmitted that way. Thank you so much in advance.
I posted this a day ago to Dr HHH and he said it was extremely low risk. I just want one more opinion. I was drunk in Vegas and shared a pipe for meth with an escort. I did nothing sexual and did not even take off my clothes. I have no reason why I did this as I only have smoked pot before in my life. Now I am losing sleep over possibly getting Hep C. I have read her blood could have mixed with my blood from the pipe in our mouths. I did not use IV drugs at all or ever. I dont think she ever has but really dont know for sure. How common is what I did for spreading the disease? She said she was disease free but she might not know about Hep C, right? Let me know how worried I should be over this encounter. Everything I read online says it can be transmitted that way. Thank you so much in advance.
Hi
I can understand your concern. "The risk of transmission of hepatitis c through even sex is very less".
Sharing pipe is extremely unlikely to spread the disease . If you go by 'Slesseinger and Fordtran's textbook of gastroenterology', even the use of condoms are not recommended in monogamous relationship if one partner is positive. This should be reassuring.
Anyway I would suggest 'HCV RNA Pcr test' after three weeks and HCV elisa after four to six months . This should rule out hepatitis c definitely and will clear any questions beyond doubt about you being infected.
Regards,
Vaibhav Banait
I can understand your concern. "The risk of transmission of hepatitis c through even sex is very less".
Sharing pipe is extremely unlikely to spread the disease . If you go by 'Slesseinger and Fordtran's textbook of gastroenterology', even the use of condoms are not recommended in monogamous relationship if one partner is positive. This should be reassuring.
Anyway I would suggest 'HCV RNA Pcr test' after three weeks and HCV elisa after four to six months . This should rule out hepatitis c definitely and will clear any questions beyond doubt about you being infected.
Regards,
Vaibhav Banait
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Answered by
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