Hepatitis C Infection in the Elderly

Sammy Saab1,2, Justin Rheem3, Vinay Sundaram4

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. SSaab@mednet.ucla.edu.

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Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver most commonly caused by hepatotropic viruses (A–E), though non-infectious causes such as alcohol and drugs also exist.Hepatitis AHepatitis A virus (HAV) is a non-enveloped RNA virus of the Picornaviridae family. It is primarily transmitted via the fecal-oral route, typically through ingestion of contaminated food or water. After ingestion, HAV enters the bloodstream through the oropharynx or intestinal epithelium and reaches the liver.
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Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...
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Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow01:26

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