Saturday Sep 20, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole has been hospitalized in New York for hepatitis C, Reuters cited her spokeswoman as saying Friday.   The 58-year old singer has canceled her tour plan for October, but is expected to fully recover from the illness; the spokeswoman was cited as telling Reuters.

The following is extracted from NIH Publication No. 04–4229 released May 2004 for those who are interested in learning more about the disease.

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a liver disease that prevents the liver from working properly.   The liver is very important organ that fights infections and detoxifies toxic substances including drugs, other poisons from your blood.

What are the causes for hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus.

How does hepatitis C spread?

You could get hepatitis C virus from an infected person by contacting his blood, sharing a needle with him and having sex with him.   The infectious disease can also spread from a mother to her child.   In rare cases, you can get the disease by getting a tattoo or body piercing with unsterilized, dirty tools.

You cannot get the disease from an infected person by shaking hands with him, hugging him, kissing him or sitting next to him.

Could I get hepatitis C from a blood transfusion or organ transplant?

You might have hepatitis C if you had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992 when doctors could not check the presence of hepatitis C in the blood and some people got infected with the disease.

What are the symptoms for hepatitis C?

Symptoms may not show up in many people with hepatitis C. But people with the disease could have symptoms like feeling tired, feeling sick to the stomach, losing appetite, having stomach pain, diarrhea, dark yellow urine, light-colored stools, and yellowish eyes and skin.

If you have symptoms or think you might have acquired it, see a doctor.

How can hepatitis C be tested?

To determine whether you have hepatitis C, doctors need to do a blood study.   The tests can show whether you have the disease and how serious it is.   They may also do a liver biopsy.

How is hepatitis C treated?

The disease can be treated with a drug called peginterferon often along with the drug ribavirin.   If the liver is severely damaged, you may need surgery and receive a liver transplant.

How can I protect myself from hepatitis C?

The ways to prevent the disease are as follows: do not share needles, wear gloves to handle someone's blood, wear a condom during sex if you have multiple sex partners, do not share an infected person's toothbrush, razor, and anything that could be tainted with the blood, and do not get a tattoo or body piercing if the tools are dirty.