Stages of Hepatitis C The hepatitis C virus affects people in different ways and has several stages: Ø Incubation period . This is the time between first exposures to the start of the disease. It can last anywhere from 14 to 80 days, but the average is 45 Ø Acute hepatitis C. This is a short-term illness that lasts for the first 6 months after the virus enters your body. After that, some people who have it will get rid of, or clear, the virus on their own. Ø Chronic hepatitis C . For most people who get hepatitis C -- up to 85% -- the illness moves into a long-lasting stage (longer than 6 months). This is called a chronic hepatitis C infection and can lead to serious health problems like liver cancer or cirrhosis. Ø Cirrhosis . This disease leads to inflammation that, over time, replaces your healthy liver cells with scar tissue. It usually takes about 20 to 30 years for this to happen, though it can be faster if you drink alcohol or have HIV. Ø Liver cancer
Introduction to Hepatitis C: Hepatitis C is a liver disease which is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV): the virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver cancer. It is a blood-borne virus: the most common modes of infection are through exposure to small quantities of blood. which may happen through injection drug use, transfusion of unscreened blood, unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, and blood products and sexual practices that lead to exposure to blood. Worldwide, an estimated 71 million people are infected with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. A large number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. WHO estimated that in the year 2016, approximately 399 000 people died from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer). Antiviral medicines can cu