[Chronic hepatitis C: etiology, pathogenesis, treatment].

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is the major cause of chronic hepatic pathology, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. CHC affects approximately 3.2 mln Americans. The commonest routes of CHC transmission are drug injections, blood transfusion, and sexual contacts (in this order). CHC is frequently an asymptomatic infection. Jaundice occurs only in one third of the cases with acute infection. Cirrhosis develops in 20-30% of the patients with chronic infection during 20 years. Cirrhosis eventually evolves into hepatocellular carcinoma in 1-4% of the patients per year.