Monogamous sex between heterosexual partners can rarely cause hepatitis C. A study involved 500 people who were screened for risk factors for hepatitis C infection. The volunteers were asked about their sexual preferences and frequent changes of partners. After analyzing the blood samples, the researchers found that a percentage of the volunteers were infected with the virus. The infected are mainly persons who frequently change their sexual partners. The risk of sexual transmission of hepatitis C is much lower than that of hepatitis B, but despite this, experts appeal to take appropriate precautions. The hepatitis C virus is primarily transmitted through blood. Venous injection of drugs or other illicit substances with shared needles and syringes is the most common mode of transmission. However, the virus is also found in small concentrations in seminal (sperm) and vaginal fluid and saliva. Hepatitis C is a disease of the whole organism, not only of the liver. The disease is characterized by a significant number of extrahepatic manifestations. If the human body fails to fight the infection, inflammation of the liver becomes chronic and causes chronic liver disease, which is serious and often life-threatening. Data from the study were published in the journal Hepatology.