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Overview
An estimated 3 percent of the world's people carry a virus
that silently attacks their livers. Most people infected with
the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms at all. In fact,
most people don't know they have the disease until liver
damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests.
Hepatitis C is one of six identified hepatitis viruses — the
others are A, B, D, E and G. All cause the liver to become
inflamed, which interferes with its ability to function.
Hepatitis C is generally considered to be among the most
serious of these viruses.
Over time, hepatitis C infection can lead to liver cancer,
liver failure or cirrhosis — irreversible and potentially
fatal scarring of the liver. Unlike HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS, the hepatitis C virus usually isn't transmitted through
sexual contact. Instead, its primary mode of transmission is
contaminated blood — through needles shared by drug users or
through blood transfusions.
Although vaccines exist for hepatitis A and B, no vaccine for
hepatitis C has been developed. Researchers hope to find a
medication that will inhibit the growth of the virus and
prevent long-term complications, such as cirrhosis and cancer,
from developing.
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