Hepatitis C

Description

Systemic viral infection involving the liver

Epidemiology

Geriatric Considerations
Patients aged >60 years may be less responsive to therapy, as they are more likely to have advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis at time of diagnosis (1).

Pregnancy Considerations

• Routine prenatal HCV testing
• For HCV-infected mothers, retest HCV RNA postpartum to evaluate for spontaneous clearance.

Pediatric Considerations

• Test children born to HCV-positive mothers (at 18 months of age).
• HCV-positive children have no restrictions for participation in regular childhood activities.
• Treatment starts ≥3 years of age (1),(2)

Incidence

• Incidence of acute hepatitis C has more than doubled since 2013.
• IV drug use accounts for ~60–70% of new cases.

Prevalence

• HCV is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and transplantation in the United States.
• There are eight known genotypes (GT) with 86 subtypes. GT 1 is the predominant form, 75% in the United States and ~46% worldwide. GT predicts response to treatment (1).