HEPATITIS

HEPATITIS

Introduction:-
Hepatitis is primarily caused by infection with one of at least 5 different viruses, each of which has a different epidemiologic pattern of transmission, a different clinical outcome and a different mean of prevention. According to Seegar and Mason different viruses including hepatitis A,B,C,D,E and G cause viral infections of human liver.

HEPATITIS C:

Hepatitis C virus was identified in 1989 when its genome was isolated from the plasma of a chimpanzee, experimentally infected with blood borne non-A, non-B hepatitis virus. In the late 1970s, reports of primates after exposure to HCV infected human serum followed by a subsequent report of HCV infection after a needle stick injury resulted in the identification of hepatitis C as a distinct and transmissible hepatitis virus.
Hepatitis is a serious disease caused by a Virus that attacks the liver. The Virus, which is called hepatitis C Virus (HCV), can cause life long infection, Cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and even death. It is a serious and common infectious disease of the liver, affecting million of people throughout the world. An estimated 100 million individuals world wide is chronically infected with HCV. High prevalence rates have been found in South Asian countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia and India.
Hepatitis is also the most common chronic blood borne infection in the U.S. In the United States HCV caused an estimated 10,000 deaths annually. The children become infected with HCV through a variety of means including per natal HCV infection and person to person transmission is not common. The disease in newborns is usually mild and free of symptoms.
The acute and chronic consequences of hepatitis C Virus infection are among the major health problems in Pakistan. Hepatitis C Virus infection has different clinical manifestations depending on the patient’s age at infection, immune status and the stage at which the disease is recognized.
Epidemiological studies conducted in the past have provided data regarding the prevalence of HBV and HCV in different parts of the world. But few studies are available in Pakistan. The prevalence of hepatitis c infection is high in Pakistan and nation wide efforts are required to identify people who may have been infected with HBV and HCV.

Medical tests for Hepatitis C
1:-Liver Biopsy
2:-Liver function tests (LFTs)