Hepatitis C

: Hepatitis C

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: language 2 page detail of the virus infection hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV ) infection is a condition in which the individual develops inflammation of liver due to infection with the RNA virus Hepatitis C . The infection was first identified in 1988 , and the term Hepatitis C was initially utilized to describe non-A and non-B hepatitis infections that were transmitted through the blood (Miriam J Alter . 1998 , pp . 2013 . It is usually transmitted from one individual to another through contaminated

blood or blood products (most common sharing needles or needle-stick injuries , organ transplantation , unsafe sex , or from infected mother to the developing baby (CDC . 2006 . During the 1980 's and the 1990 's , the incidence of HCV infection was high as blood and blood products were not routinely screened for the virus During the years 1982 to 1995 , about 15 of all cases of acute viral hepatitis were caused due to HCV infection . In the early 1990 's , about 120 , 000 cases of HCV infection occurred every year in the US Scandinavia and UK have the lowest HCV infection rates . The infection rates are the highest in Egypt (Miriam J . Alter . 1998 , pp . 2015 Presently , about four million are infected with the HCV in the US (Jenifer K . Lehrer , 2006 . About 170 million people throughout the world are affected with chronic HCV infection (Keyur Patel . 2006 , and about 3 population of the World silently suffer from the disease (Mayo Clinic Staff . 2006

The virus that causes HCV is an RNA virus , belonging to the family Flaviviridae and the genus Hepacivirus . It may be heterogeneous due to mutations developing during the replication of the virus . The virus is one of the six viruses that are recognized as hepatitis viruses (primarily cause infection in the liver (Miriam J . Alter . 1998 , pp 2014

The incubation period of the virus may range from two to twenty six weeks (usually 6 to 7 weeks (Miriam J . Alter . 1998 , pp . 2018 . During the initial stages of the infection , the individual usually develops little or no symptoms . Some individuals develop a flu-like illness with symptoms such as low-grade fever , tiredness , body pain , anorexia , slight pain in the abdomen , etc . Individuals with the acute version of the disease develop similar symptoms as other viral hepatitis . Individuals with chronic version of the disease also do not have any symptoms , but sometimes develop jaundice , abdominal pain , nausea , vomiting , pale stools , dark urine , itching , ascitis , bleeding varices , etc (Jenifer K Lehrer , 2006

The diagnosis of HCV infection is made based on the history , symptoms signs , physical examination (especially abdominal examination , blood tests (such as ELISA to determine the presence of the HCV antigen liver function tests (may show higher enzyme levels for longer periods in chronic infection , liver biopsy (to study chronic infection or other complications , imaging techniques (such as X-rays , CT scans and ultrasound , viral studies (such as PCR to know the genetic makeup of the virus...