Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C

It is estimated that 130–170 million people, or ~3% of the world's population, are living with chronic hepatitis C. About 3–4 million people are infected per year, and more than 350,000 people die yearly from hepatitis C-related diseases. Rates have increased substantially in the 20th century due to a combination of IDU and intravenous medication or poorly sterilized medical equipment.

Among those chronically infected, the risk of cirrhosis after 20 years varies between studies but has been estimated at ~10%-15% for men and ~1-5% for women. The reason for this difference is not known. Once cirrhosis is established, the rate of developing hepatocellular carcinoma is ~1%-4% per year.

In the United States, about 2% of people have hepatitis C, with about 35,000 to 185,000 new cases a year. Rates have decreased in the Western world since the 1990s due to improved screening of blood before transfusion. Annual deaths from HCV in the United States range from 8,000 to 10,000; expectations are that this mortality rate will increase, as those infected by transfusion before HCV testing become apparent.

Prevalence is higher in some countries in Africa and Asia. Countries with particularly high rates of infection include Egypt (22%), Pakistan (4.8%) and China (3.2%). It is believed that the high prevalence in Egypt is linked to a now-discontinued mass-treatment campaign for schistosomiasis, using improperly sterilized glass syringes.