Premium
The Silent Dragon—Hepatitis C
Author(s) -
Walker Beverly,
Howard Linda
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/s0001-2092(06)60981-2
Subject(s) - ribavirin , medicine , liver transplantation , hepatitis c virus , virology , disease , hepatitis c , transmission (telecommunications) , liver disease , virus , transplantation , intensive care medicine , immunology , electrical engineering , engineering
The hepatitis C virus is the most common bloodborne pathogen in the world. A disease with no cure or vaccine, it kills between 8,000 and 10,000 people annually in the United States. Only recently have experts begun to understand the virus, its natural progression, and how it differs from other hepatitis viruses. Most transmission is a result of direct percutaneous exposure, and the disease is more common among minority groups. Alpha interferon and ribavirin are the currently approved first‐line treatment medications. Evolving medication therapies, full liver transplantation from nonliving donors, and split liver transplantation from living donors hold promise for the 170 million people who are thought to carry the virus. AORN J17 (June 2003) 1191‐1204.