HEPATITIS C VIRUS AND HEPATITIS C-INFECTION

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) belongs to the Hepacivirus genus, Flaviviridae family, has six major genotypes and more than 70 subtypes. HCV has a major impact on public health, because it infects around 3% worldwide population, with an estimated global incidence of three to four million new infections per year. HCV infection was first suspected in the 1970s, when this new type of hepatitis transmitted by blood was then called “non-A, non-B” hepatitis. HCV is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus, and its genome was identified in 1989. It’s transmitted primarily via the blood route through of injection drug use, sharing syringes, and blood transfusion. Anti-HCV antibody and HCV RNA testing are used to diagnose acute and chronic hepatitis C, and HCV genotype should be systematically determined for indication and duration of treatment. After acute infection, 15%-25% of persons appear to resolve their infection without sequelae, whereas 75%-85% evolve to chronicity, which may exhibit various complications with the evolution of the infection. The standard treatment for chronic infection with HCV in the last decade has been the combination therapy of pegylated interferon alpha plus ribavirin. However, this therapy is associated with significant adverse effects, but recent developments of new drugs’ combinations are changing the treatment paradigm in HCV infection. In this article, we review the information on HCV, how the HCV biology, diagnosis, management, preventive modalities, and therapeutics.