HCV is spread (transmitted) most efficiently through inadvertent exposure to infected blood. The most common route of transmission is needles shared among users of illicit drugs. Accidental needle-sticks in healthcare workers also have transmitted the virus. The average risk of getting HCV from a stick with a contaminated needle is 1.8% (range 0% to 10%). [...]
The presence of HCV in the liver triggers the human immune system, which leads to inflammation. Over time (usually decades), prolonged inflammation may cause scarring. Extensive scarring in the liver is calledcirrhosis. When the liver becomes cirrhotic, the liver fails to perform its normal functions, (liver failure), and this leads to serious complications and even [...]
What is hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is difficult for the human immune system to eliminate the virus from the body, and infection with HCV usually becomes chronic. Over decades, chronic infection with HCV damages the liver and can cause liver failure in [...]
