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Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the United States, 25 000 to 30 000 new infections occur each year. It is a slowly progressive liver disease, usually without symptoms, that may take 20 to 30 years to cause serious liver damage. About three quarters of persons infected with this virus develop chronic (long-term) hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). An estimated 2.7 million to 3.4 million Americans are chronically infected and 12 000 deaths per year are attributed to the medical complications related to hepatitis C. HCV has become the major cause of liver disease leading to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer and is now the most frequent indication for liver transplantation.

There are 6 major types (strains) of hepatitis C, referred to as genotypes (based on DNA sequences). The most common genotype in the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

EXPOSURE TO HEPATITIS C VIRUS

John L. Zeller, MD, PhD, Writer; Cassio Lynm, MA, Illustrator; Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor

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