Talking about the disease: sharing experiences of Hepatitis C online

Abstract

This article describes the experience of people who have hepatitis C, particularly their daily life and their experiences regarding the disease expressed in forums on the internet. It means a personal identity, and also a belonging's feeling to a group, the "hépatant" people. The issue of patient's identity was reflected upon, considering a context in which sickness groups start to be formed through associations and forums on the internet, making inter-pares support an essential feature of the patient's identity.