Hepatitis C (HCV)

During the last decade the HIV disease was the number one growing problem for many Americans. As of 2016, Hepatitis C (HCV) receives the attention as the new infectious disease in the United States and countries around the world. Hepatitis C has become a persistent developing virus that can cause serious liver infection if not treated. The Virus was identified in 1989, as non-A non-B hepatitis. It is refer to as the “Silent Epidemic”. For years HCV blood borne disease has infected individuals without any knowledge of symptoms. The symptoms are usually mild and slow progressing. These include nausea, vomiting, jaundice, and low grade fever. The estimated exposure of this virus is approximated at 3.5-4 million people. Those infected will eventually …show more content…
The body then began to fight against its own immune system and attacks the liver cells, this causes the liver to develop infection and inflammation. The Inflammation can cause cirrhosis and liver disease. HCV belongs to a single-strand RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family with 6 genotypes (Pears, 2010). The most common one in the United States is genotype 1. The virus incubation period last from 6-7 weeks, Most of the time people are unaware they have the virus. HCV is mostly spread through blood-borne …show more content…
Therefore, testing and diagnosis is required for treatment and monitoring of the disease process. There are a number of methods to diagnosis HCV. The Physician will asked about flulike or any gastrointestinal symptoms, and perform a physical examination to evaluate the liver. Blood work is performed to test a liver panel which includes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin. The albumin and bilirubin levels show how the liver is functioning and the (AST and ALT) reflects the amount of inflammation in the liver (Fabry & Narasimhan, 2007). Blood work is also received for the presence of hepatitis C antibodies. “A non-reactive or negative antibody test means that a person does not have Hepatitis C. A reactive or positive antibody test means that Hepatitis C antibodies were found in the blood and a person has been infected with the Hepatitis C virus at some point in time”(CDC,2016). The main diagnostic tests used for HCV are antibody enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test, a third generation test used for people with abnormal liver function test and clinical signs of liver disease. Recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) used to confirm a positive EIA, and quantitative HCV RNA polymerase chain reaction. According to Hepatitis C Resources and