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Can your teen get Hepatitis C (i.e., HCV) by getting a tattoo?
In other countries, HCV infection has been associated with
folk medicine practices, tattooing, body piercing, and
commercial barbering. However, in the United States,
case-control studies have reported no association between
HCV infection and these types of practices. In addition, the
CDC identified patients with acute Hepatitis C during the
past 15 years who denied a history of injecting-drug use. Of
these patients, only 1% reported a history of tattooing or
ear piercing, and none reported a history of acupuncture.
Among patients who were injecting-drug users, frequency of
tattooing and ear piercing also was uncommon (3%).
Although any percutaneous exposure (i.e., penetration of the skin) has the potential for transferring infectious blood and potentially transmitting blood borne pathogens (i.e., HBV, HCV, or HIV), no data exist in the United States indicating that persons with exposures to tattooing alone are at increased risk of HCV infection. Further studies are needed to determine if these types of exposures and settings in which they occur (e.g., correctional institutions, unregulated commercial establishments), are risk factors for HCV infection in the United States.
Thomas J. Berger, Ph.D.; Former Human Development & Family Studies Specialist, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri Extension
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Last update: Wednesday, October 26, 2005
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