Wikipedia:VideoWiki/Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, that primarily affects the liver.^[1]

During the initial infection, people often have mild or no symptoms.^[2] Occasionally they will have a fever, dark urine, abdominal pain, or yellow tinged skin called jaundice.^[2]

About 80% of people who get the initial infection, will never completely fight off the hepatitis C virus, and it will persist in their liver.^[2]

Over many years, the chronic infection of the liver, can lead to complications like a fatty liver, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.^[2] Worldwide hepatitis C is the cause of 27% of cirrhosis cases, and 25% of hepatocellular carcinomas.^[3]

Liver failure will also cause other problems, such as confusion, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, and enlarged blood vessels in the esophagus or stomach that can cause serious bleeding.^[1]

Hepatitis C is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact, associated with intravenous drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment, needlestick injuries in healthcare, and transfusions.^[2][4] It may also be spread from an infected mother, to her baby during birth.^[2]

It is not spread by superficial contact, and the risk of being infected through a blood transfusion, can be reduced to one per two million, with proper blood screening.^[2]

It is one of five known hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E.^[5]

Diagnosis is by blood testing to look for either antibodies to the virus or its RNA.^[2] Testing is recommended in all people who are at risk.^[2]

There is no vaccine against hepatitis C^[2][6]. Prevention includes harm reduction efforts for intravenous drug users, universal precautions for health care workers, condom use, and proper screening of donated blood.^[7]

About 95% of people can be cured of the chronic infection, with antiviral medications such as sofosbuvir, or simeprevir.^[2][7] These drugs are effective but can be expensive.^[7]

Earlier generation treatments such as peginterferon, and ribavirin are more affordable, but have cure rates of less than 50%, and greater side effects.^[7][8]

Those who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer, may require a liver transplant.^[9] Hepatitis C is the leading reason for liver transplantation, though the virus usually recurs after transplantation.^[9]

As of 2015, about 2% of the worlds population was infected with the hepatitis C virus, causing 167,000 deaths due to liver cancer, and 326,000 deaths due to cirrhosis.^[10][11] It occurs most commonly in Africa, Central, and East Asia.^[7]

The existence of hepatitis C (originally identifiable only as a type of non-A, non-B hepatitis) was suggested in the 1970s, and proven in 1989.^[12] Hepatitis C infects only humans and chimpanzees.^[13]