Editorial
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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2013; 19(40): 6703-6709
Published online Oct 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i40.6703
Hepatitis C, stigma and cure
Rui Tato Marinho, David Pires Barreira
Rui Tato Marinho, David Pires Barreira, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Hospital Santa Maria, Medical School of Lisbon, 1649-035 Lisboa, Portugal
Author contributions: Both of authors gave substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be published.
Correspondence to: Rui Tato Marinho, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hospital Santa Maria, Medical School of Lisbon, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-035 Lisboa, Portugal. rui.marinho@mail.telepac.pt
Fax: +351-217-805678
Received: July 28, 2013
Revised: August 14, 2013
Accepted: August 17, 2013
Published online: October 28, 2013
Processing time: 138 Days and 6.9 Hours
Abstract

The infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most important global chronic viral infections worldwide. It is estimated to affect around 3% of the world population, about 170-200 million people. Great part of the infections are asymptomatic, the patient can be a chronic carrier for decades without knowing it. The most severe consequences of the chronic infection are liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which appears in 20%-40% of the patients, leading to hepatic failure and death. The HCV was discovered 25 years ago in 1989, is a RNA virus and classified by the World Health Organization as an oncogenic one. Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most important cancers, the fifth worldwide in terms of mortality. It has been increasing in the Ocidental world, mainly due to chronic hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is not only a liver disease and a cause of cirrhosis, but also a mental, psychological, familiar, and social disease. The stigma that the infected person sometimes carries is tremendous having multiple consequences. The main cause is lack of adequate information, even in the health professionals setting. But, besides the “drama” of being infected, health professionals, family, society and the infected patients, must be aware of the chance of real cure and total and definitive elimination of the virus. The treatment for hepatitis C has begun in the last 80´s with a percentage of cure of 6%. Step by step the efficacy of the therapy for hepatitis C is rapidly increasing and nowadays with the very new medications, the so called Direct Antiviral Agents-DAAs of new generation, is around 80%-90%.

Keywords: Hepatitis C; Chronic; Therapy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatic cirrhosis; Interferon-alpha; Ribavirin; Social stigma; Depression

Core tip: Around 3% of the world population, about 170-200 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus. The chronic consequences of the infection are liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which appears in 20%-40% of the patients. Hepatitis C is not only a liver disease but also a mental, psychological, familiar, and social disease. The stigma that the infected person sometimes carries is tremendous. But, besides the “drama” of being infected, health professionals, family, society and infected patients, must be aware of the chance of real cure and definitive elimination of the virus. Step by step, the efficacy of the therapy for hepatitis C is rapidly increasing and with the new medications, the Direct Antiviral Agents-DAAs, is around 80%-90%.