title: The silent dragon--hepatitis C.
abstract: The hepatitis C virus is the most common bloodborne pathogen in the world. A disease with no cure or vaccine, it kills between 8,000 and 10,000 people annually in the United States. Only recently have experts begun to understand the virus, its natural progression, and how it differs from other hepatitis viruses. Most transmission is a result of direct percutaneous exposure, and the disease is more common among minority groups. Alpha interferon and ribavirin are the currently approved first-line treatment medications. Evolving medication therapies, full liver transplantation from nonliving donors, and split liver transplantation from living donors hold promise for the 170 million people who are thought to carry the virus.
authors.affiliation: Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, Wash, USA.
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008875:Middle Aged; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012254:Ribavirin