Electron micrograph of hepatitis C virus from cell culture (scale = 50 nanometers)
Specialty
Gastroenterology, infectious disease
Symptoms
Typically none[1]
Complications
Liver failure, liver cancer, esophageal and gastric varices[2]
Duration
Long term (80%)[1]
Causes
Hepatitis C virus usually spread by blood-to-blood contact[1][3]
Diagnostic method
Blood testing for antibodies or viral RNA[1]
Prevention
Sterile needles, testing donated blood[4]
Treatment
Medications, liver transplant[5]
Medication
Antivirals (sofosbuvir, simeprevir, others)[1][4]
Frequency
58 million (2019)[4]
Deaths
290,000 (2019)[4]
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver;[2] it is a type of viral hepatitis.[6] During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms.[1] Early symptoms can include fever, dark urine, abdominal pain, and yellow tinged skin.[1] The virus persists in the liver, becoming chronic, in about 70% of those initially infected.[4] Early on, chronic infection typically has no symptoms.[1] Over many years however, it often leads to liver disease and occasionally cirrhosis.[1] In some cases, those with cirrhosis will develop serious complications such as liver failure, liver cancer, or dilated blood vessels in the esophagus and stomach.[2]
HCV is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact associated with injection drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment, needlestick injuries in healthcare, and transfusions.[1][3] In regions where blood screening has been implemented, the risk of contracting HCV from a transfusion has dropped substantially to less than one per two million.[1] HCV may also be spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth.[1] It is not spread through breast milk, food, water or casual contact such as hugging, kissing and sharing food or drinks with an infected person.[4] It is one of five known hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E.[7]
Diagnosis is by blood testing to look for either antibodies to the virus or viral RNA.[1] In the United States, screening for HCV infection is recommended in all adults age 18 to 79 years old.[8]
There is no vaccine against hepatitis C.[1][9] Prevention includes harm reduction efforts among people who inject drugs, testing donated blood, and treatment of people with chronic infection.[4][10] Chronic infection can be cured more than 95% of the time with antiviral medications such as sofosbuvir or simeprevir.[1][4] Peginterferon and ribavirin were earlier generation treatments that proved successful in <50% of cases and caused greater side effects.[4]: 2015 version [11] While access to the newer treatments was expensive, by 2022 prices had dropped dramatically in many countries (primarily low-income and lower-middle-income countries) due to the introduction of generic versions of medicines.[4] Those who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer may require a liver transplant.[5] Hepatitis C is one of the leading reasons for liver transplantation, though the virus usually recurs after transplantation.[5]
An estimated 58 million people worldwide were infected with hepatitis C in 2019. Approximately 290,000 deaths from the virus, mainly from liver cancer and cirrhosis attributed to hepatitis C, also occurred in 2019.[12] The existence of hepatitis C – originally identifiable only as a type of non-A non-B hepatitis – was suggested in the 1970s and proven in 1989.[13] Hepatitis C infects only humans and chimpanzees.[14]
Video summary (script)
^ abcdefghijklmno"Q&A for Health Professionals". Viral Hepatitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
^ abcRyan KJ, Ray CG, eds. (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology (4th ed.). McGraw Hill. pp. 551–52. ISBN 978-0-8385-8529-0.
^ abMaheshwari A, Thuluvath PJ (February 2010). "Management of acute hepatitis C". Clinics in Liver Disease. 14 (1): 169–76, x. doi:10.1016/j.cld.2009.11.007. PMID 20123448.
^ abcdefghij"Hepatitis C Fact sheet". WHO. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Updated as required.
^ abcRosen HR (June 2011). "Clinical practice. Chronic hepatitis C infection". The New England Journal of Medicine. 364 (25): 2429–38. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1006613. PMID 21696309. S2CID 19755395.
^"Hepatitis MedlinePlus". U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
^"Viral Hepatitis: A through E and Beyond". National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. April 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
^Cite error: The named reference USPSTF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Zelenev A, Li J, Mazhnaya A, Basu S, Altice FL (February 2018). "Hepatitis C virus treatment as prevention in an extended network of people who inject drugs in the USA: a modelling study". The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 18 (2): 215–224. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30676-X. PMC 5860640. PMID 29153265.
^Cite error: The named reference Kim2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021". www.who.int. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
^Houghton M (November 2009). "The long and winding road leading to the identification of the hepatitis C virus". Journal of Hepatology. 51 (5): 939–48. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2009.08.004. PMID 19781804.
^Shors T (2011). Understanding viruses (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 535. ISBN 978-0-7637-8553-6. Archived from the original on 2016-05-15.
HepatitisC is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitisC virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the...
hepatitisC virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae. The hepatitis C...
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the...
number of other diseases. It is one of five known hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E. The hepatitis A vaccine is effective for prevention. [needs update]...
types of hepatitis can be prevented or treated. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccination. Effective treatments for hepatitisC are available...
Romark initially decided to focus on the possibility of treating chronic hepatitisC with nitazoxanide. The drug garnered interest from the hepatology community...
Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that Nicholson contracted hepatitisC from Abdullah the Butcher in a May 2007 professional wrestling match...
of infection from disease-causing pathogens, such as the hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitisC virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Among...
GB virus C (GBV-C), formerly known as hepatitis G virus (HGV) and also known as human pegivirus – HPgV is a virus in the family Flaviviridae and a member...
Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute...
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a partially double-stranded DNA virus, a species of the genus Orthohepadnavirus and a member of the Hepadnaviridae family of...
Hepatitis E is inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis E has mainly...
to Patients to Prevent Transmission of HepatitisC?". NIH. Retrieved 2008-07-26. "Who Is at Risk for HepatitisC?". WebMd. Retrieved 2008-07-26. Andrea...
clubs include medical purchases of rare medications for treating HIV or hepatitisC sooner, at reduced cost for patients. In many parts of the United States...
This is a list of sulfonamides used in medicine. Short-acting Sulfacetamide Sulfadiazine Sulfadimidine Sulfafurazole (sulfisoxazole) Sulfisomidine (sulfaisodimidine)...
Hepatitis B vaccine is a vaccine that prevents hepatitis B. The first dose is recommended within 24 hours of birth with either two or three more doses...
The infectious disease hepatitisC is caused by the hepatitisC virus (HCV), which affects the liver. During the initial infection, people often have mild...
and liver biopsy. Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent hepatitis B and the development of cirrhosis, but no vaccination against hepatitisC is available. No...
discovered in the stool of post-transfusion, non-hepatitis A, non-hepatitis B, non-hepatitisC, non-hepatitis E patients. Injection of these particles into...
medical scandal in which a large number of people were infected with hepatitisC and HIV, as a result of receiving contaminated blood or contaminated...
(February 2003). "Adefovir dipivoxil for the treatment of hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B". The New England Journal of Medicine. 348 (9): 808–16...
Hepatitis A vaccine is a vaccine that prevents hepatitis A. It is effective in around 95% of cases and lasts for at least twenty years and possibly a person's...
Bridge". The Judds broke up soon after Naomi Judd was diagnosed with hepatitisC in 1991. The band's farewell concert was the most successful musical...
replicating its RNA and DNA. Overall, IFN-α can be used to treat hepatitis B and C infections, while IFN-β can be used to treat multiple sclerosis. Interferon...
into muscle. It is used in areas where hepatitis A and B are endemic, for travelers, people with hepatitisC or chronic liver disease, and those at high...
developing antiviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitisC, influenza, and COVID-19, including ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and sofosbuvir...
later. There is no evidence that ECS can reduce mother-to-child hepatitis B and hepatitisC virus transmission. Caesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR)...
vasculitis. PAN is sometimes associated with infection by the hepatitis B or hepatitisC virus. The condition may be present in infants. PAN is a rare...
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