Faculty Of Pharmacy ASU

By: Marina Adel“Hepatitis C”

What Is Hepatitis?• Hepatitis means inflammation of

the liver–Hepat (liver) + itis

(inflammation)= Hepatitis• Viral hepatitis means there is a

specific virus that is causing your liver to inflame (swell or become larger than normal).

• World - 170 million people.• Affects each person

differently.• No vaccine available.• Many people have the virus

and do not even know it.

Hepatitis C

Deveopment

Signs and Symptoms• Individuals may have one or

more of the following symptoms, while others experience no symptoms:–Tiredness

–Nausea–Muscle or joint pain–Trouble sleeping–Loss of appetite

–Weight loss–Abdominal pain–Itchiness–Depression–Dark urine

Signs and Symptoms• A few may have specific liver

related symptoms initially:–Pale stool– Jaundice (yellowing of the

skin or eyes)

Risk Factors

Prevention• Never share drug equipment• Never share tooth

brushes/razors or any personal hygiene articles that have blood on them.

• Do not touch dirty needles without following proper procedures.

• Antibody test ‘Window period’ – 2 weeks up to 6

months, but on average 6 to 12 weeks. Indicates a person has been exposed to the virus.

Doesn’t determine if infection is current or what genotype is present.

• PCR tests *Qualitative – virus

detected/not detected *Quantitative – viral load *Genotype

Tests for Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C Treatment ?• Combination Therapy • (pegylated interferon and ribavirin).• Treatment Regime

– weekly self administered injections of pegylated interferon & daily ribavirin tablets taken orally.

– Treatment adherence is critical to achieve sustained viral response (SVR).

• 6 months – 12 months (depending on genotype / cirrhosis).

• Overall across genotypes: 60% viral clearance – and up to 80% viral clearance in genotype 2 & 3.