HEPATITIS C

Course overview

HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) IS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AFFECTING 58 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SEROPOSITIVE FOR ANTI-HCV ANTIBODIES WORLDWIDE IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE INCREASED FROM 2.3% TO 2.8% BETWEEN 1990 TO 2005. MOST PATIENTS (80% TO 85%) WHO BECOME ACUTELY INFECTED CANNOT CLEAR THE VIRUS AND PROGRESS TO CHRONIC INFECTION. THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC INFECTION INCLUDE CIRRHOSIS, PORTAL HYPERTENSION, HEPATIC DECOMPENSATION WITH ENCEPHALOPATHY, AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. THE LANDSCAPE OF TREATMENT HAS EVOLVED SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF HIGHLY ACTIVE DIRECT-ACTING ANTIVIRALS (DAAS) IN 2011. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF HEPATITIS C AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AFFECTED PATIENTS.