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Hepatitis C Research Paper

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Hepatitis C
What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a virus that can cause chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The virus is usually transmitted through blood or sexual contact. Some patients acquire the virus and develop acute hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). In a subset of patients, the initial infection fails to clear and individuals advance to chronic hepatitis C infection. Chronic hepatitis C significantly increases the risk of progressive liver fibrosis (cirrhosis) and failure if left untreated. The risk of liver cancer is also increased. Patients with HCV of frequently co-infected with HIV – treatment of both frequently leads to better outcomes.
The long-term consequences of chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis include …show more content…
What causes hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a virus that is spread through the blood or via sexual contact. Individuals who share needles for intravenous drug abuse and those who have sex with multiple partners are at increased risk. The risk of infection is also increased in men who have sex with men. Lastly, healthcare workers are at increased risk due to the possibility of needle-stick injury.
Once the virus is acquired, it may lead to acute hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) characterized by low grade fever, malaise, abdominal discomfort, jaundice, and nausea/vomiting. In a subset of individuals, this resolves and they never develop long term sequela. However, about 50%-85% of patients never clear the infection and go on to develop chronic hepatitis C. This leads to chronic liver inflammation and injury. The liver may eventually begin the process of fibrosis (scarring) – this occurs in about 5%-30% of individuals over 20-30 years.
The progression to liver cirrhosis is more commonly seen in elderly, male, and non-black patients who use alcohol. Normal liver tissue ultimately gets replaced by scar tissue and is non-functional. In late stages, patients may develop signs of liver failure such as yellow colored skin (jaundice), fluid accumulation in the abdomen (ascites), and lower extremity swelling

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