The Problem Of Chronic Hepatitis C

This research paper is going to review today’s silent killer, the Hepatitis C virus. This paper will talk about the description of the disease, the signs and symptoms, the etiology and risk factors, diagnostic studies, treatments and prognosis of this disease. I had lived with this disease for over ten years before diagnosed so it is important to understand the signs and symptoms so the disease can be identified and a treatment plan can be identified as the sooner it is treated the more likely it will eradicate the disease.

The strain of genotypes is not differentiated by the severity of the disease. However, there will make a distinction in the regimen and the duration of the treatment (CDC, 2016). Treatment for chronic HCV is based on guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Associations for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The criteria of who should receive the treatment include how much the virus in the body, the strain of hepatitis C, the degree of liver inflammation or damage, comorbidity, and response to previous treatment (Infectious Diseases Society of America [IDSA], 2016). The highest priority for treatment should give to a patient with advanced fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis (IDSA, 2016). Moreover, treatment priority should provide to the patient who has a high risk of transmitting the disease from and to others, such as individuals who are active injection drug users and hemodialysis patients (IDSA, 2016).

Recall the dreaded trips to the doctor’s office when it was time to get shots. These shots are vaccines, which provide immunity to certain diseases. You received vaccines for Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Measles and Polio. A vaccine you did not get though, is one for Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a disease that affects the way the liver operates, and although there is a vaccine for both Hepatitis A and B, there is not one for C. Hepatitis C affects the digestive system, more specifically the liver. It can also damage the central nervous system and the circulatory system. Blood tests are the most common way to detect Hepatitis C and after one has been diagnosed with it, there are many ways to treat it. Hepatitis C is a treatable disease with varying

There are a number of individuals who may be suffering from an illness and not even be aware they have an illness. One example of such illness is Hepatitis C (HCV). Hepatitis C is a severe disease of the liver. It is caused by the Hepatitis C virus (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2015). As a result, Hepatitis C has been termed a silent epidemic (CDC, 2015). This is because a lot of individuals have Hepatitis C and don’t even realize they have the infection (CDC, 2015). As the infection begins to progress over time, it could cause acute issues to the liver (CDC, 2015). Those issues could be things like damage to the liver, the liver could fail to function, cirrhosis, or even cancer of the liver (CDC, 2015). However, screening for Hepatitis C will allow an individual to benefit from treatments that are available, hence eliminating the disease from the body and preventing the liver from undergoing any further damage (CDC, 2015).

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes chronic liver. Over time, infections can lead to liver damage, liver cancer, and even liver failure.

Regina is a 62-year-old female diagnosed with chronic viral Hepatitis C (B18.2) and is genotype 1a. She is treatment naïve. Her most recent lab results indicate HCV RNA 4,005,368 IU/mL, ALT 63, and AST 83. Regina’s CT scan shows a cirrhotic appearance of the liver.

Hepatitis C is a disease which occurs in the liver that might occur only for a short time or it could be there as long as your lifetime. It usually comes from the Hepatitis C Virus, which occurs due to having a contact with an infected person’s blood.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the primary malignancy of the liver) is now the third most common cancer in the world affecting more than half a million people. The incidence of liver cancer varies greatly by race and ethnicity; and about 3 times more common in men than women [6]. The most common type of HCC - caused by Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) are most prevalent in Asia and Africa, as the presence of virus predisposes people to liver disease and subsequently HCC [7]. In such high prevalence areas of the world, HBV infection is often acquired at birth or in early childhood. In the US, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) account for more than 50% of people infected with HBV, although many of them are

When a doctor uses the term Hepatitis C or HCV, what comes to mind? Many people have little to no knowledge of what it is. Is it deadly? Is there a cure? Is it a virus or disease? There are many questions that enter the mind because there are many concerns associated with an unknown illness. Several people wonder if the virus is similar to hepatitis A or B because there has been education throughout the years that provides more awareness surrounding the two known viruses, but it is discovered there are vast differences. Until recently, the general population was unaware that another hepatitis virus acted as a silent killer. Unlike hepatitis A or B, hepatitis C is a relatively new disease that can go unnoticed until it is too late. The virus

Hepatitis C prevalence is higher in some countries in Africa and Asia. The report published by the Egyptian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) stated that, in Egypt, there is an overall Anti-HCV antibody prevalence of 14.7% (estimated to be about 12 million individuals) and the number of Egyptians estimated to be chronically infected was 9.8% (about 8 million individuals )[8]. Hepatitis C virus represents the second most common blood-borne illness in the world, affecting up to 2% of the world’s population [9]. Data suggest that HCV infection should be regarded as a systemic infection with multi-organ involvement [10].

Hepatitis can be defined as the inflammation of the liver . It can be caused by toxins, certain drugs, some diseases, heavy alcohol use, bacterial and viral infections. The most common types of hepatitis are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. The similarities between theses hepatitis A, B, and C are they caused by viruses but only the viruses are different. Eventhough each type cause similar symptom of diseases, they actually are transmitted in different ways affect the liver in different way .Hepatitis A appears only as an acute or newly occurring infection and does not become chronic and the patient usually will improve without invasive treatment like hepatitis A and C .Hepatitis B and C also begin as acute infection but because

Hepatitis C is a significant public health problem in Australia with approximately 10000 new infections occurring annually1. In 25% of patients, acute Hepatitis C infection is followed by viral clearance, defined as undetectable levels of HCV RNA in the blood, with the remaining 75% progressing to chronic infection. Without intervention, those with chronic infection are at increased risk of hepatic fibrosis and progression to hepatic cirrhosis. There appears to be a significant variation in the reported rates of progression of chronic hepatitis C infection to cirrhosis, ranging from 4% to 20% in 20 years, depending on the sample population and method of acquisition of the virus2. The risk of development of hepatocellular cancer is about 2 – 4% per annum3. Current use of alcohol7, type 2 diabetes and those with the metabolic syndrome are more likely to progress to cirrhosis when infection with hepatitis C is present.

Although we are well aware of the mode of transmission, the hepatitis C virus itself remains a mystery. The genome of HCV is extremely mutable. Because HCV is an RNA virus and does not have adequate proofreading ability as it replicates, virions infecting humans undergo evolution with time, giving rise to the notion that HCV persists as a collection of virus quasispecies. Because it is constantly mutating, HCV is able to escape detection and elimination its human host. HCV undergoes quick mutation in a hypervariable region of the genome coding for the envelope proteins and escapes immune surveillance by the host. As a result, most HCV-infected people develop chronic infection. HCV also knocks out the host’s innate immunity.

Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver’s cells and tissues caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

HCV infection is characterized by its propensity to evolve into chronicity and by a wide clinical spectrum. About 85% of patients infected by HCV will develop chronic infection and resolution of acute hepatitis C is observed in only 15% (Palitzsch et al., 1999). The severity of the liver disease varies widely from asymptomatic chronic infection, with normal liver tests and nearly normal liver, to severe chronic hepatitis, leading rapidly to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The mechanisms responsible for the persistence of HCV infection and for the liver lesions are not well understood. The lack of an efficient in vitro replication system or an animal model (the chimpanzee model is limited) has greatly hampered the study of these mechanisms