Hepatitis C

Also called: HCV



Hepatitis C is one type of hepatitis - a liver disease - caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It usually spreads through contact with infected blood. It can also spread through sex with an infected person and from mother to baby during childbirth.
Most people who are infected with hepatitis C don't have any symptoms for years. A blood test can tell if you have it. Usually, hepatitis C does not get better by itself. The infection can last a lifetime and may lead to scarring of the liver or liver cancer. Medicines sometimes help, but side effects can be a problem. Serious cases may need a liver transplant.

There is no vaccine for HCV.

Short history of Hepatitis C
 

Although the hepatitis C virus remained unidentified until 1988, his existence was noticed since 1974 when some researchers from the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A and B viruses. Initially called non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH), the virus could not be identified for over a decade, despite all the researchers' efforts. The unknown organism was finally identified in 1988 by some researchers from Chiron Corporation who used molecular cloning in order, and the first articles about the new hepatitis virus appeared in 1989.



Incubation period and infectivity of Hepatitis C

The hepatitis C virus has an incubation period virus which ranges from 14 to 180 days (mean = 45 days). Most of the persons infected with hepatitis C virus don't present any sign on infection, and the few who do have symptoms are rarely diagnosed with hepatitis C. That happens because most of the symptoms (such as decreased appetite, fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, itching, and flu-like symptoms) are specific to other diseases. People that suffer from chronic HCV infection have a much higher risk of liver failure (cirrhosis) and liver cancer. Chronic HCV-related liver disease is the leading indication for liver transplant.

Hepatitis C Symptoms
Just like hepatitis B, the infection with hepatitis C virus doesn't usually cause specific symptoms. Very few patients present flu-like symptoms, along with weight loss, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, irritability, nausea, malaise, anorexia and jaundice in the active period of the disease (that occurs between 2 and 26 week from the infection).



Fatigue is the most common symptom met in chronic infection with hepatitis C virus. Once the liver disease advances, symptoms like depression, nausea, abdominal discomfort, anorexia and difficulty with concentration may occur.
What is Hepatitis:?

Hepatitis  A
 
Hepatitis B
 
Hepatitis C