SMi Source Lesson HCV: Chronic Infection

  • SMi Source lesson HCV: Chronic Infection has the following microlearning topics

    • 1. HCV Impact and Prevalence

    2. What is HCV?

    3. HCV Life Cycle

    4. HCV Infection

  • Lesson HCV: Chronic Infection teaches these concepts

    • HCV Impact and Prevalence, What is Hepatitis?

    HCV Impact and Prevalence, The Liver

    HCV Impact and Prevalence, Hepatitis C Virus

    HCV Impact and Prevalence, HCV Estimated Prevalence and Number Infected by WHO Region

    HCV Impact and Prevalence, Hepatitis C Virus Infection in United States

    HCV Impact and Prevalence, See For Yourself

  • Lesson HCV: Chronic Infection addresses these key points

    • Hepat + itis = Liver Inflammation

    At least six types of hepatitis viruses:

    • A (enterically-transmitted)
    • B (blood-borne)
    • C (blood-borne)
    • D (blood-borne)
    • E (enterically-transmitted)
    • G (blood-borne)

    The Liver:

    • Maintains blood glucose levels
    • Makes essential blood components
    • Detoxifies potentially harmful substances

    Hepatitis C:

    • Type of viral hepatitis
    • Emerged as one of the most important liver diseases

    The former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. C. Everett Koop, is helping others realize the threat posed by the hepatitis C virus or HCV.

    HCV affects large numbers of people worldwide.

    The World Health Organization estimates that about 200 million people or 3% of the world's population are infected with hepatitis C virus.

    Three to four million persons are newly infected each year.

    New infections each year:

    • 1985-89
      • 242,000
    • 1998
      • 40,000

    Persons ever infected:

    • ~3.9 million
    • ~1.8% of US population

    Persons with chronic infection:

    • ~2.7 million

    Deaths from chronic HCV related disease/year:

    • 2,000-8,000

    Number of patients infected will continue to increase at ~20% per year until 2015.

    It is believed that the virus may have been spreading as early as the 1960’s through blood transfusions.

    Tests were available for the blood supplies in 1992.

  • Lesson HCV: Chronic Infection introduces and defines these terms

    • Incidence: The number of new cases in a given time frame.

    Prevalence: The total number of cases of infected persons.