Hepatitis C | |
---|---|
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. However, 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]
USPSTF
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Kim2016
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).