Severe liver damage in mid/late-adulthood among people who inject drugs with chronic Hepatitis C

The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a chronic blood-borne viral infection that affects an estimated 160 million people worldwide. Alarmingly, chronic HCV infection accounts for one-quarter of the cases of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). If HCV is left untreated, chronic liver disease will occur in 60-70% of the cases, cirrhosis in 5-20% of the cases, and 1-5% will die from decompensated cirrhosis or HCC. Given these findings, researchers note the health-related benefits of early engagement, especially since the new HCV treatments feature shorter drug regimens that are very likely to result in cure.

from Today's Healthcare News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1Ler2HY