Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Infection may be acute or chronic; persistent infection can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Hepatitis C virus: An enveloped RNA virus that infects liver cells and can cause acute or chronic hepatitis. This virus causes the disease and establishes infection in liver cells.
Hepatitis C screening: Testing people without symptoms to identify hepatitis C infection. Screening can find infections that otherwise remain unnoticed for years.
Non-A, non-B hepatitis: A historical diagnosis for viral hepatitis not identified as hepatitis A or hepatitis B. HCV was discovered as the main cause of this previously unexplained disease.
Hepatitis A: A usually short-term liver infection caused by hepatitis A virus and commonly spread through contaminated food or water. Unlike HCV, hepatitis A does not cause chronic infection.
Portal hypertension: Abnormally high blood pressure in the portal venous system, often caused by cirrhosis. HCV-related cirrhosis can obstruct blood flow through the liver.
Hepatitis C virus life cycle: The stages by which HCV enters liver cells, replicates its RNA, and produces new virus particles. Its replication and persistence explain how infection becomes chronic.
Hepatitis C antibody test: A blood test that detects antibodies produced after exposure to HCV. It is commonly used as the initial test for past or current exposure.
Harvey J. Alter: An American physician and researcher who helped establish the existence of non-A, non-B hepatitis. His transfusion studies helped show that an unknown blood-borne agent caused the illness.
Hepatitis B: A liver infection caused by hepatitis B virus, which can become chronic and spread through blood and body fluids. It can also cause chronic liver disease, but has a vaccine unlike HCV.
Hepatic encephalopathy: A decline in brain function caused by severe liver dysfunction or blood bypassing the liver. Advanced liver damage from hepatitis C can impair the liver's removal of toxins.

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