Hepatitis C (HCV)

General Information:

The study is necessary in case of contact with a hepatitis patient, risk manipulation, differential diagnosis in other non-viral genes, hepatitis.
Over 170 million people worldwide are infected with HCV. Newly infected are between 3 and 4 million people each year.

Only about 20% of people develop acute symptoms in the first months after infection and are diagnosed with acute hepatitis C. In most cases, the infection is symptomatic-free. The incubation period is 14-180 days.

In some cases, patients have mild symptoms such as loss of appetite, vomiting, general malaise, and these problems are usually misdiagnosed as a stomach upset.
The disease is chronic in 75-85% of the infected. The persistence of hepatitis C virus infection over a period of 6 months with an inflammatory process and dying of liver cells is defined as chronic hepatitis C.

The number of chronic carriers of the hepatitis C virus in Bulgaria is estimated at about 1.5%, which makes about 110,000 people. Approximately 90% of these people do not know they have chronic hepatitis C. Without treatment, between 5-20% of chronic carriers develop cirrhosis and 1-5% of liver cancer.

There is no patented vaccine against the virus. The treatment is long and difficult.
Hepatitis C risk factors and transmission pathways:

• blood and blood products (after blood transfusion, haemophiliacs, hemodialysis)
• venous drug addicts (60%), tattoos, acupuncture
• after transplants outside the EU (50-60%)
• post-operative patients including maxillofacial dental implants
  sex, although rare (3%, but increases in certain groups and unconventional sex)
• from the mother of the fetus (trough the placenta, at birth, sometimes by breastfeeding)

Patients with established positive results require a liver status check and more in-depth studies (like viral load and genotyping).

Sample Required:

Venous blood

Keywords:

Hepatitis C - HCV