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Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: buginme2 on February 04, 2012, 10:27:50 pm

Title: What's the HCV story?
Post by: buginme2 on February 04, 2012, 10:27:50 pm

I'm a tad bit perplexed about something. 

There seems to be a lot of differing information about how HCV is spread.  I'm reading some articles that mention that HCV can be transmitted sexually.  This article on AIDSmeds http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_hepatitis_coinfection_1667_21837.shtml
says sexual transmission happens. 

Yet the lesson on AIDSMeds doesn't list sexual contact as a way it's transmitted
http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/2678_9985.shtml

That article says something like a third of gay men with HIV have HCV.  So I assume it is sexually transmitted.

Title: Re: What's the HCV story?
Post by: Rev. Moon on February 04, 2012, 10:38:50 pm

Link n run...

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hepatitis/notransmission.html

Title: Re: What's the HCV story?
Post by: buginme2 on February 04, 2012, 10:43:39 pm

That article isn't very definitive either.  Might not.  Plus it only talks about heterosexuals, leave the whole gay transmission out of the article.

Still perplexed  :D

Title: Re: What's the HCV story?
Post by: Miss Philicia on February 04, 2012, 10:49:38 pm

It says 7% of HIV+ men have HCV. Where are you getting "something like a third of gay men" from?

Title: Re: What's the HCV story?
Post by: buginme2 on February 04, 2012, 10:52:44 pm

Oops in the second link in the AIDSmeds lesson it says 25-33% of HIV positive people have HCV, not HIV positive gay men, I got them mixed.

Title: Re: What's the HCV story?
Post by: Miss Philicia on February 04, 2012, 11:01:11 pm

sippin' that white zin tonight?

Otherwise, my opinion on this subject as regards transmission is that until these studies can fully quantify the degree that HCV is passed by routes like sharing of nasal devices for recreational drugs (think of all those boys sharing straws to snort coke, meth, etc.) then I'm left scratching my head about "non-specialty" sex acts (read: anal sex as opposed to fisting)

Title: Re: What's the HCV story?
Post by: newt on February 05, 2012, 06:03:40 am

There is a lot unknown about HCV and man on man sex. There have been done studies in the UK to look at this, cos yes, men seem to be able to get HCV through sex with other men, though whether a simple screw without a condom is sufficient is a very good question and wether there is unreported injection drug use also a moot point.  Basically, some behavioural factors have been associated with transmission. See:

http://i-base.info/guides/hepc/hiv-hcv-and-sex

http://i-base.info/guides/hepc/new-infections-and-gay-men

- matt