Gross J B
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Mayo Clin Proc. 1998 Apr;73(4):355-60; quiz 361. doi: 10.1016/S0025-6196(11)63702-6.
Hepatitis C virus infection is common, often silent, and almost always chronic and can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. Deaths related to chronic hepatitis C are expected to increase dramatically in the future. Many cases of infection are asymptomatic and are undiagnosed because of a lack of recognition by patients and physicians. All patients currently or previously at risk of infection should undergo screening, including those who received blood transfusions before 1992. Interferon is the only effective therapy, but disappearance of virus is sustained in only 10 to 15% of patients. The combination of interferon and oral ribavirin therapy may increase the sustained response rate to about 40%. New agents such as hepatitis C virus-specific protease inhibitors may be available in the next 5 to 10 years, and treatment is evolving toward multiple-drug regimens analogous to those used for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In contrast to public funding for drug development in HIV, such funding for hepatitis C has been limited.
丙型肝炎病毒感染很常见，通常没有症状，几乎总是慢性的，并且会导致肝硬化和肝细胞癌。预计未来与慢性丙型肝炎相关的死亡人数将大幅增加。许多感染病例没有症状，由于患者和医生缺乏认知而未被诊断出来。所有目前或以前有感染风险的患者都应接受筛查，包括那些在1992年之前接受过输血的人。干扰素是唯一有效的治疗方法，但只有10%至15%的患者病毒能持续清除。干扰素与口服利巴韦林联合治疗可能会使持续应答率提高到约40%。新型药物如丙型肝炎病毒特异性蛋白酶抑制剂可能会在未来5至10年内问世，治疗正在朝着类似于用于人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）感染的多药方案发展。与用于HIV药物研发的公共资金相比，用于丙型肝炎的此类资金一直有限。
