Hepatitis C

Pharmaceutical advances offer new options for health outcomes

Research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) explores pharmaceutical advances for treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) and hepatitis C.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Twin epidemics: HIV and Hepatitis C in the urban Northeast

A new Yale study looks at the scope and consequences of a burgeoning health problem in the cities of the U.S. Northeast: concurrent infection with both HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV). The study appears online ...

HIV & AIDS created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists create new tool for identifying powerful HIV antibodies

A team of NIH scientists has developed a new tool to identify broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) capable of preventing infection by the majority of HIV strains found around the globe, an advance that could help speed ...

HIV & AIDS created May 09, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research finds HIV-killing compound

(Medical Xpress) -- A powerful topical preventative for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, could soon be in the works thanks to a newly discovered molecular compound that research at Texas A&M University and ...

HIV & AIDS created Nov 24, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (32) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

New antiviral treatment could significantly reduce global burden of hepatitis C

(Medical Xpress)—Around 150 million people globally are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) – a major cause of liver disease and the fastest growing cause of liver transplantation and ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 06, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Vaccine discovered for hep C

(Medical Xpress) -- A University of Alberta researcher and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology has made the discovery of a vaccine that will potentially help combat hepatitis C. Michael Houghton, ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 16, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (17) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

First trial of a new hepatitis C vaccine shows promise

(Medical Xpress) -- A new vaccine against the chronic liver disease hepatitis C has shown promising results in a first clinical trial in humans, Oxford University researchers report.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jan 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A comparative medicine study identifies new approach to combat viral infections

When a virus such as influenza invades our bodies, interferon proteins are among the first immune molecules produced to fight off the attack. Interferon can also play a role in suppressing tumor growth and ...

Medical research created Nov 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Computer modeling reveals how surprisingly potent hepatitis C drug works

A study by researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory and a multinational team reveals how daclatasvir, a direct-acting antiviral agent in development for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), targets one of its ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 18, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Bird flu, pig flu, now bat flu? Human risk unclear

(AP) -- For the first time, scientists have found evidence of flu in bats, reporting a never-before-seen virus whose risk to humans is unclear.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Only half newly reported HCV cases receiving follow-up test

(HealthDay)—The lack of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA test for approximately one-half of persons newly reported as HCV infected suggests that testing and reporting must improve to detect all persons with ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 09, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cell death unleashes full force of human antiviral system

A scientific team led by researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Charite Berlin Medical University has made a completely unprecedented discovery showing how much our immune system is provoked into action when ...

Medical research created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Study finds interferon, one of the body's proteins, induces persistent viral infection

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made a counterintuitive finding that may lead to new ways to clear persistent infection that is the hallmark of such diseases as AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Medical research created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Missing MicroRNAs may be significant in resisting obesity

(Medical Xpress)—Tiny strands of RNA affect how our cells burn fat and sugar—a finding that gives biologists a place to start in the quest for therapies to treat obesity and related health problems, said scientists at ...

Medical research created Sep 06, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Entry point for hepatitis C infection identified

A molecule embedded in the membrane of human liver cells that aids in cholesterol absorption also allows the entry of hepatitis C virus, the first step in hepatitis C infection, according to research at the University of ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years. In some cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to develop liver failure, liver cancer or life-threatening esophageal and gastric varices.

HCV is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact associated with intravenous drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment and transfusions. An estimated 130–170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C. The existence of hepatitis C (originally "non-A non-B hepatitis") was postulated in the 1970s and proven in 1989. It is not known to cause disease in other animals.

The virus persists in the liver in about 85% of those infected. This persistent infection can be treated with medication; peginterferon and ribavirin are the current standard therapy. Overall, between 50–80% of people treated are cured. Those who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer may require a liver transplant. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplantation though the virus usually recurs after transplantation. No vaccine against hepatitis C is currently available.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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