The natural course of chronic hepatitis C: implications for clinical practice

Hepatitis C is an important public health problem with high rates of chronic infection ensuing after viral acquisition. The spectrum of the disease ranges from mild to severe chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Extra-hepatic manifestations may occur. The disease is complex and predictions about long-term prognosis for individual patients remain difficult. It is generally accepted that 10-20% of patients with chronic hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis within 10 years of first infection: identifying the group of patients at greatest risk remains a primary challenge for clinicians. Older age of infection, duration of infection, degree of liver inflammation at first biopsy and cofactors such as alcohol abuse, all appear to be predictors of a poorer prognosis. The following paper aims to identify some of the features of the natural history of hepatitis C most relevant to the clinician.