| Hepatitis C is considered to be quite a | | | | US there are annually 26,000 new HCV |
| tricky disease, due to the fact that the | | | | infections discovered. |
| virus acts in silence and can infect a person | | | | |
| for many years until doctors find out. The | | | | In the future, HCV will become a major |
| Center for Disease Control (CDC), has | | | | problem for the health system because many |
| declared Hepatitis C to be a "silent | | | | people who have only mild symptoms will |
| epidemic" and it seems that 20 to 30 % people | | | | progress to an end-stage liver and then to |
| affected of chronic Hepatitis C are exposed | | | | liver cancer, so there will be a 528% |
| to future life threatening symptoms. | | | | increase in the need for transplantation over |
| | | | the next 10 or 20 years. |
| Hepatitis C was first observed in US in 1960, | | | | |
| after blood transfusions and drug injections | | | | The treatment options include conventional |
| began to be widely applied. Nobody knew | | | | interferon (now outdated), combined |
| exactly how many people got affected by the | | | | conventional interferon and ribavirin, |
| disease, until 1990 when HCV blood tests have | | | | pegylated interferon, and combined pegylated |
| developed. Studies have proved that in 20 | | | | interferon and ribavirin. Successful |
| years a person affected of chronicle C | | | | treatment can be achieved in up to 80% of |
| Hepatitis will develop cirrhosis, and many of | | | | patients infected with genotype 2 or 3, and |
| them will turn into liver cancer. Patients | | | | less effective in those with genotype 1. |
| with HCV are considered to be in need for a | | | | |
| liver transplant. | | | | There is no natural cure for HCV, the natural |
| | | | products can only protect and support the |
| More than 4 million Americans (1.3% of the | | | | liver. Another medical product is the Maximum |
| U.S. population) and 170 million individuals | | | | Milk Thistle which has scientific validation |
| in the world (3% worldwide) are infected with | | | | and is considered to be helpful. |
| hepatitis C virus. The prevalence (number of | | | | |
| cases in a population at a specific time) of | | | | Until now, no vaccine has proved to be |
| hepatitis C virus infections varies in | | | | effective, and scientists are still looking |
| different parts of the world. It seems that | | | | for a solution. Compounds that specifically |
| in Eastern Europe the prevalence is higher | | | | interfere with the reproduction of the |
| than in Western Europe. It is estimated that | | | | hepatitis C virus are now being studied as |
| 13 cases/100,000 persons of new symptomatic | | | | well. |
| infections of HCV are annually discovered. In | | | | |