Hepatitis C: Difference between revisions

Hepatitis C virus a flavivirus and an RNA virus. It is a common cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer globally. Chronic hepatitis C is the most common cause for liver transplantation. Curative treatment exists. Before the introduction of modern antivirals, curing HCV was much less successful and involved the use of interferons, which have nasty side effects. Thanks to modern antivirals, curing HCV has become much easier.

The incubation time is 4 – 12 weeks. The acute infection is asymptomatic in 80%; jaundice occurs in 20%.

Both acute and chronic hepatitis C can be cured with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), but people with acute HCV should be monitored for 12 – 16 weeks for whether they clear the infection themselves. If not, treatment is initiated.

Treatment with DAA lasts 8-12 weeks and is successfull in 95% of cases. Treatment involves combination of 2 or 3 antivirals like sofosbuvir, velpatasvir, and ledipasvir, usually in one tablet. 4-12 weeks after treatment, a blood test should be made to ensure that the virus has been cleared, by measuring HCV-RNA levels. Some genotypes of HCV are resistant to certain antivirals, knowing the virus' genotype is useful to guide the choice of antiviral.