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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffHepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms. In fact, most people don't know they have the hepatitis C infection until liver damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests.
Hepatitis C is one of several hepatitis viruses and is generally considered to be among the most serious of these viruses. Hepatitis C is passed through contact with contaminated blood — most commonly through needles shared during illegal drug use.
- Ghany MG, et al. AASLD practice guidelines: Diagnosis, management and treatment of hepatitis C: An update. Hepatology. 2009;49:1335.
- FAQs for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Hepatitis C. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/hepatitisc. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- What I need to know about hepatitis C. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepc_ez/index.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Viral hepatitis screening. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://www.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/ViralHepatitisScreening.aspx. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- CAM and hepatitis C: A focus on herbal supplements. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/hepatitisc. Accessed July 24, 2009.
