LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Hepatitis
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Hepatitis C (HCV) is a single-stranded RNA virus. In 1990, the partial genetic sequence of the virus was reported and the first diagnostic test became available to detect antibodies to the virus in blood. These antibodies are not protective against the virus but are a helpful marker of infection in that most people with HCV antibodies are actively infected and contagious. HCV is responsible for most cases of what was previously called "Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis".
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Hepatitis C (HCV) is a flavivirus for which the only known reservoirs are humans and chimpanzees; in fact, the virus was first identified in chimpanzee blood. HCV causes “non-A, non-B hepatitis” and was the major cause of post-transfusion hepatitis before routine screening of the blood supply for HCV. Worldwide, there are approximately 200 million HCV carriers.
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Hepatitis C has no known cure. Patients with Hepatitis C... may live a full life if they take proper care of themselves. If a person suspects that they may have Hepatitis C or has engaged in any of the at-risk activities, he or she should begin by having a blood test. Once it has been determined that the patient has the disease, other tests will be prescribed. A liver biopsy will often be performed; a tiny portion of the liver is extracted through a needle which will be examined to determine the health of the liver. A genotype test may also be conducted to determine exactly what type of C virus is involved.
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Hepatitis infection causes inflammation of the liver, which means that the liver becomes swollen and damaged and begins losing its ability to function. People with hepatitis often get symptoms similar to those caused by other virus infections, such as weakness, tiredness, and nausea. Because the symptoms of hepatitis are similar to other conditions, it's easy for a person who has it to confuse it with another illness. In addition, people with hepatitis A may not show any symptoms of the infection, so the infection can go undiagnosed. People with hepatitis B or C infection ... may not show symptoms right away, but can develop health problems from the infection many years later. Even when infected people don't have any symptoms, they can still pass the disease on to others.
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Hepatitis C testing begins with serological blood tests used to detect antibodies to HCV. Anti-HCV antibodies can be detected in 80% of patients within 15 weeks after exposure, in >90% within 5 months after exposure, and in >97% by 6 months after exposure. Overall, HCV antibody tests have a strong positive predictive value for exposure to the hepatitis C virus, but may miss patients who have not yet developed antibodies (seroconversion), or have an insufficient level of antibodies to detect. Rarely, people infected with HCV never develop antibodies to the virus and therefore, never test positive using HCV antibody screening. Because of this possibility, RNA testing (see nucleic acid testing methods below) should be considered when antibody testing is negative but suspicion of hepatitis C is high (e.g. because of elevated transaminases in someone with risk factors for hepatitis C).
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Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected human blood. It is the most common blood-borne infection in the country. Until blood screening began in 1990, the hepatitis C virus was primarily transmitted through blood transfusions. Now, hepatitis C is transmitted mainly through intravenous drug use and sharing needles. Nearly half of people infected with hepatitis C have a history of injecting drugs. People who received a blood transfusion before 1992 are ... at high risk, as are people who have had 20 or more sexual partners.
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Hepatitis