Hepatitis C may be more misunderstood than you think

Hepatitis C often causes few or no symptoms for years and can lead to serious liver damage; modern oral antiviral medicines now cure nearly all treated infections.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that primarily affects the liver and can remain silent for many years, often producing few or no symptoms. Dr. William Carey of the Cleveland Clinic notes that some people live with the virus for 10 to 20 years before complications appear. Globally an estimated 50 million people live with hepatitis C and the World Health Organization reports about 242,000 deaths from the infection each year. Recent advances in oral direct-acting antiviral medicines have substantially changed the outlook for many people with the virus. Key facts: - Hepatitis C spreads through blood-to-blood contact; sharing needles or syringes is now a leading cause of new infections, and unsafe tattooing or improperly sterilized equipment can also transmit the virus. - Early infection often causes few or no symptoms; when symptoms occur they are typically mild and nonspecific, such as fatigue or abdominal discomfort. - If the infection becomes chronic, inflammation can slowly damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer, and the World Health Organization estimates about 242,000 deaths per year from hepatitis C. - Treatment with oral direct-acting antivirals, taken for weeks to months, is reported to cure nearly all treated patients with minimal side effects, and experts note that testing and treatment reduce the number of people who can pass the virus to others. Summary: Hepatitis C can be hard to detect because it often produces little outward sign but carries a risk of serious liver disease if unrecognized. With modern antiviral treatments that cure most infections and continued focus on testing and safe practices, the pool of people able to transmit the virus can be reduced.