Hepatitis C

  My boyfriend was diagnoised with a very large gall stone 7 months ago. Before the surgery could be done his blood platlet count went down and he was found to have ulcers which are being treated now. Since then his liver enzymes have increased and he was told he had hepatitis C. He is a recovering alcholic, clean and sober for 5 years now. I do not think a blood test was done to determine if he has hepatitis C or not..but just assumed he has it due to the elevated liver enzymes. My question is this...can the gall stone and gall bladder disease increase the liver enzimes? My second question is this....if he does indeed have hepatitis C how great is the possibility of my contracting it from sexual activity?

[HFHSM.D.-D.M.]

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Dear Patti:
I really enjoyed your questions.  Let me see if I can answer them in a way that is helpful to you.  
Gallstones and gallbladder disease can absolutely elevate liver enzymes.  However, most people with gallstones never have problems with them and the presence of gallstones should never be assumed to be the cause of elevated liver enzymes.  In addition, gallstone problems often affect liver enzymes in a specific way and it will be important for your physicians to decide if the elevations seem more likely to be due to gallstone disease or to hepatitis C.
Your second question is an extremely important one and one that I address periodically for MedHelp.    Hepatitis C is a very hard virus to transmit and requires blood to blood contact.  Hepatitis C is not easily transmitted through sex because even here blood to blood contact appears to be required because the hepatitis C virus is not found in semen or cervical secretions.  It turns out that the main risk factor for sexual transmission of hepatitis C is having multiple sex partners.  In fact, two people involved in a monogamous relationship have a very low chance of giving each other the hepatitis C virus even if they have been sexually active for 20 to 50 years.  One explanation for this (that has not been proven) is that people who have multiple sex partners are at a greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases and that venereal sores can allow blood to blood contact.  The current NIH recommendations are that the spouse or partner of someone with hepatitis C be tested, but that even if the spouse is negative that the two individuals not change their sex habits.  If your boyfriend does have hepatitis C, you probably should be tested.  If you are positive, you should probably be evaluated.  
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any additional questions or concerns, you can post them through MEDHELP or contact us directly at Henry Ford. The direct number to our liver clinic is: [phone]. At Henry Ford, we have a very active group of hepatologists with a strong interest in the care and research of hepatitis C.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question physician when you have a question pertaining to your health