Hepatitis C
Basics
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).
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Citation
Domino, Frank J., et al., editors. "Hepatitis C." 5-Minute Clinical Consult, 33rd ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2025. Medicine Central, im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116267/all/Hepatitis_C.
Hepatitis C. In: Domino FJF, Baldor RAR, Golding JJ, et al, eds. 5-Minute Clinical Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2025. https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116267/all/Hepatitis_C. Accessed October 11, 2024.
Hepatitis C. (2025). In Domino, F. J., Baldor, R. A., Golding, J., & Stephens, M. B. (Eds.), 5-Minute Clinical Consult (33rd ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116267/all/Hepatitis_C
Hepatitis C [Internet]. In: Domino FJF, Baldor RAR, Golding JJ, Stephens MBM, editors. 5-Minute Clinical Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2025. [cited 2024 October 11]. Available from: https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116267/all/Hepatitis_C.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Hepatitis C
ID - 116267
ED - Domino,Frank J,
ED - Baldor,Robert A,
ED - Golding,Jeremy,
ED - Stephens,Mark B,
BT - 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Updating
UR - https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116267/all/Hepatitis_C
PB - Wolters Kluwer
ET - 33
DB - Medicine Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -