LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Hepatitis C: Chronic Hcv
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Chronic hepatitis C infection afflicts approximately 2.7 million people in the U.S., many of whom are unaware of the infection, which is often undetected for up to 20 years following initial infection. Worldwide, the disease strikes as many as 185 million people. HCV causes inflammation of the liver, which may lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis, liver cancer, and ultimately, liver failure. Each year, 8,000 to 10,000 people in the U.S. die from complications of HCV. Current treatments have been effective for only 40 to 60 percent of chronically infected HCV patients and are associated with significant side effects. At the present time, there are no direct antiviral therapies available for the treatment of HCV infection.
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Hepatitis C is one of the most common chronic blood-borne infections in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 3.9 million Americans are infected with HCV. Currently, no vaccine is available to prevent new HCV infections. Left untreated, chronic HCV infection often leads to end stage liver disease and is the leading reason for liver transplantation in the United States. In contrast to the current treatment of chronic HCV infection, a combination of interferon and ribavirin, the next generations of anti-HCV drugs are designed to target specific viral proteins and directly block critical steps in the HCV replication cycle.
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Hepatitis C infects an estimated 170 million people worldwide and 4 million in the United States. There are about 35,000 to 185,000 new cases a year in the United States. Co-infection with HIV is common and rates among HIV positive populations are higher. 10,000-20,000 deaths a year in the United States are from HCV; expectations are that this mortality rate will increase, as those who were infected by transfusion before HCV testing become apparent. A survey conducted in California showed prevalence of up to 34% among prison inmates;[21] 82% of subjects diagnosed with hepatitis C have previously been in jail,[22] and transmission while in prison is well described.[23]
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Toxic stasis accumulates easily, smolders chronically, and is hard to disperse: hepatitis C is different from other types of liver disease in that it does not manifest like a warm disease. Although the pathogen directly enters the blood, there are usually no symptoms of rashes, red tongue, bleeding, loss of consciousness, etc. On the contrary, it can be classified as a yin type disease, a damp toxin, which causes damp stagnation, yin coagulation, toxic accumulation, clogging of the collaterals, and obstruction of yang. In response, one should disperse the liver qi and transform phlegm. Due to the characteristics of toxin, blood stasis, phlegm, and dampness, there is usually a chronic disease process that does not respond well to treatment. The author recommends qi-regulating herbs, such as bupleurum, blue citrus, citrus, cyperus, magnolia bark as well as phlegm-transforming herbs such as kelp, laminaria, fritillaria, pinellia.
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The decision to treat chronic hepatitis C remains problematic. Since a liver biopsy can show how diseased the liver has become, it is often used to guide the decision to treat or to carefully watch a patient. In patients who have very mild disease or are poor candidates for treatment, many physicians prefer a wait-and-see approach given the low risk of mortality and the considerable cost and side-effects of treatment. Others believe the strong association between HCV and cirrhosis justifies treatment much of the time. Interferon alfa and ribavirin are two drugs approved for the treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis C, and are sometimes used in persons with acute hepatitic C.... Interferon is an injection.
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Hepatitis C currently represents a major public health concern. The number of persons chronically infected with HCV in the world is estimated at 170 million to 200 million and hepatitis-C-related deaths at approximately 470 000 annually. Peak of incidence of HCV-related diseases is expected to occur in 2025-2030 in developed countries. HCV infection leads to liver diseases such as fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver carcinoma which are the prime reason for liver transplants. The current standard of care for patients infected with the HCV genotype 1 (a combination of Pegylated-Interferon Alpha and Ribavirin), effective in 50% of patients completing therapy, is lengthy and often poorly tolerated. In addition, a substantial number of patients never receive therapy.
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Chronic Hcv