“Did you know...?” C―Tracker @c-tracker-blog - Tumblr Blog

The cure rate following pegylated interferon and ribavirin was only approximately 45%

Between 2002 and the availability in 2013 of the new generation of all-oral direct-acting antiviral treatments for hepatitis C, the mainstay of therapy had been long-acting (“pegylated”) interferon injections along with an oral medication, ribavirin. Both of these medications had bothersome side effects, and a treatment duration of up to 48 weeks was required.

For people with the most common hepatitis C genotype (category of viral infection), genotype 1, the cure rate following pegylated interferon and ribavirin was only approximately 45%.

#Hepatitis-C #interferon

Hepatitis C is the only curable chronic viral infection of humans

#Hepatitis-C #viral infection

The current generation of combination medications for hepatitis C can lead to a cure

The current generation of all-oral, well tolerated combination medications for hepatitis C can lead to “cure” in approximately 95% of treated patients.

Generally, the duration of treatment is 12 weeks but can be as brief as 8 weeks (and in more advanced cases may be as long as 24 weeks). These drugs are very well tolerated (most people have no side effects); a small proportion experience fatigue, nausea, headache, diarrhea and/or insomnia.

#Hepatitis-C #antiviral-therapy

The vast majority of people in the United States with chronic hepatitis C were born between 1945 and 1965 and acquired their infections during adolescence and early adulthood

#Hepatitis-C #public-health

At least 3.2 million Americans have hepatitis C virus infection

Based on national surveys, the US Public Health Service estimates that at least 3.2 million Americans have hepatitis C virus infection; because such surveys do not target certain population groups (e.g., incarcerated, homeless, etc.), the true frequency of hepatitis C in the US is closer to 4 million.

Across the world, 175 to 185 million people are infected.

#Hepatitis-C #public-health

Cure of chronic hepatitis C virus infection is associated with regression of fibrosis and even, in some cases, cirrhosis

#Hepatitis-C #fibrosis #Liver Cirrhosis

The cure of hepatitis C infection markedly reduces the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in persons with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis

#Hepatitis-C #cancer #cirrhosis

Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) should continue in persons who have advanced fibrosis, even after SVR

#Hepatitis-C #cancer #svr

Hepatitis C infection is a leading cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) worldwide, the only cancer with an increasing death rate

#Hepatitis-C #cancer

In people with hepatitis C, risks of nonliver diseases are increased

Chronic hepatitis C can be associated with cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver failure, and liver cancer.

In people with hepatitis C, risks of nonliver diseases are increased as well, including cardiovascular disease, renal disease, arthritis and immunologic disorders, skin disorders, certain kinds of nonliver cancers, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, impaired neurocognitive function.

#hepatitis-c #liver

The search for the virus that caused non-A, non-B hepatitis was fruitless, until, in 1988, hepatitis C virus was identified

Until the 1970s, only two types of viral hepatitis were recognized, “infectious” hepatitis and “serum” hepatitis.

The discovery of hepatitis B virus in the 1960s and hepatitis A virus in the 1970s revealed that most “infectious” hepatitis was hepatitis A and that a proportion of “serum” hepatitis cases were caused by hepatitis B; however, most people with what was considered “serum” hepatitis (e.g., acquired through transfused blood) had neither hepatitis A nor B. Thus, the term “non-A, non-B hepatitis” was coined in 1974.

During the 15 years that followed, the search for the virus that caused non-A, non-B hepatitis was fruitless, until, in 1988, hepatitis C virus was identified as the cause of most cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis.

#hepatitis-c #medical discovery

The first antiviral treatment for hepatitis C introduced in 1991, interferon alfa, cured fewer than 10% of treated persons

#hepatitis-c #interferon

SVR is the absence of detectable virus both during and after the completion of therapy

After antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C, a sustained virologic response (SVR) represents the absence of detectable virus both during and after the completion of therapy. The milestone consistent with durable eradication of the virus (“cure”) is a SVR recorded at 12 or 24 weeks after completion of therapy.

#hepatitis-c #antiviral-therapy

Cirrhosis develops in approximately a quarter among persons with chronic hepatitis C

Among persons with chronic hepatitis C, cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) develops in approximately a quarter over two decades. The majority of people with hepatitis C monitored for two to four decades do not have cirrhosis, and the US Public Health Service has estimated that approximately half of all hepatitis C virus-infected people in the US have mild stages of liver disease (limited scarring).

#hepatitis-c #liver cirrhosis

Since 2006, the death rate associated with hepatitis C has exceeded that for HIV/AIDS

#hepatitis-c #hiv

#clinical-trial #researchkit

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

“Did you know...?” C―Tracker