Hepatitis C

Although the disease itself is not new, the virus responsible for it has only recently been identified, and much work remains to gain a full understanding of how it affects the progression of the disease. [...] These factors provide the key to the success of the virus in producing chronic infection that eludes the immune system. [...] The chronic inflammation of the liver associated with hepatitis C leads to scarring (“cirrhosis”) as the liver attempts to protect itself from the inflammation. [...] Any assault on the liver can result in higher levels of these enzymes, which are always present in low amounts due to the normal death of liver cells and release of the enzymes into the blood. [...] Many scientists felt that occurrences of post-transfusion hepatitis would be significantly reduced as a result of screening donated blood for an elevated level of the liver enzyme alanine amino transferase (ALT) and for the antibody to the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc).