<< Hepatitis C affects about 3.9 million Americans. It is spread by blood-to-blood contact, usually by sharing intravenous needles or through unprotected sex. Although much less common, hepatitis C can, as apparently is the case with Anderson, be spread through dirty piercing and tattooing tools. The disease causes swelling in the liver, which keeps the organ from performing its basic function of cleansing the blood, and can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. Between 8,000 and 10,000 people in America die each year due to complications from hepatitis C.
>>