Overview of Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The disease affects about 4 million people in the United States and about 170 million people worldwide. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are about 35,000 new cases of hepatitis C infection each year.

Although there is no cure for hepatitis C, much has been learned about the disease in the last 10 years. Today, there are effective treatments available for chronic hepatitis C.

Did you know:

• Even though hepatitis C is more common among homeless people, Vietnam War veterans¹, and hemophiliacs, it can also be spread from person to person through exposure to infected blood.
• Chronic hepatitis C can have serious consequences, including liver cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease (liver failure), and even liver cancer.
• Treatment with PEG-INTRON® combination therapy offers a low relapse rate.

If you would like to know whether you may or may not have hepatitis, it's a good idea to request a hepatitis C test from a health care professional.

If you have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, learn more about treatment details in Treatment & Me and don't wait to join The Be In Charge® Program, which offers free, confidential, nurse counseling assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.