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Friday 22 November 2024

Peer Reviewed

Gastroenterology clinic

Chronic hepatitis C

Jon Watson, Chris Hair

Recent articles on:
Hepatitis C

Part 5. Practical steps in your practice

Part 4. Ongoing care after hepatitis C treatment

Part 3. Curing hepatitis C in general practice

Part 2. Assessing your patient for antiviral treatment

Part 1. Finding your patients with hepatitis C

Recent articles on:
Hepatitis

Management of hepatocellular carcinoma: an update

Nonviral hepatitis: common causes and their management

Chronic hepatitis B: a continually evolving disease

Managing the rising burden of chronic liver disease: chronic hepatitis B and C

Curing hepatitis C in general practice: a 12-step guide

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis C is a major public health issue. Of acutely affected people with hepatitis C virus infection, about 80% will eventually develop chronic infection.

Key Points

Remember

Over 200,000 Australians are living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. They incur a 20-year risk of cirrhosis of 7% and a lifetime risk of hepatocellular carcinoma of 2 to 3%.
Those with a current or past history of intravenous drug use represent the most prevalent subgroup (50 to 80%).
About 80% of people with acute HCV infection eventually develop chronic infection.
The incidence of newly identified cases is predicted to increase in future years. Chronic HCV infection is, therefore, a major public health issue.
Combined therapy with peginterferon alfa-2a or 2b and ribavirin (Pegasys RBV Combination Therapy and Pegatron Combination Therapy [with PEG-Intron Redipen Injector], respectively) can achieve sustained virological response rates of 50 to 60% for all genotype infections of HCV.