NIH/National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse[1] CDC Hepatitis C: Slide Set [2]
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Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a form of inflammatory disease of the liver caused by a virus, the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Almost always, Hepatitis C is spread by contact with an infected person's blood. The majority of the people with HCV infections have no symptoms. Therefore, they are unaware of the need to seek treatment. more...

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Hepatitis C infected 150 to 200 million people around the world and is now the leading cause of liver transplants, and a frequent cause of liver cancer. Co-infection with HCV is common for people with HIV/AIDS and often causes their death.

Signs and symptoms

Acute Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is one of 6 viruses, called hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G, that can cause an acute disease lasting several weeks. Most cases (between 60% and 70%), even those that develop chronic infection, are asymptomatic.

For persons with acute symptoms, abdominal pain, jaundice, itching and flu-like symptoms are the most prominent causes for seeking medical attention.

Chronic Hepatitis C

For persons with silent disease, some are diagnosed because of certain medical phenomena associated with the presence of hepatitis C virus, such as thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid), cryoglobulinemia (a form of vasculitis) and glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney), specifically membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). Carriers of the virus may begin to develop symptoms after only a few years. Symptoms, when developed, are variable and dependent on individual carrier. They may include prolonged flu-like symptoms and any combination of the following: body aches, headaches, night sweats, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, mild abdominal pain, typically located in the upper right quadrant.

Diagnosis

Hepatitis C may be suspected on the basis of the medical history and symptoms, because of abnormal liver function tests or as part of routine blood tests in many situations. Occasionally, people are diagnosed as a result of targeted screening such as blood donation (for which every donor is screened for numerous blood-borne diseases) or as a result of contact tracing.

Presence of HCV is generally screened with serological blood tests, all based on ELISA testing (ELISA-1, 2 and 3 are in use). These tests have a strong positive predictive value for the presence of the virus, but may take 6 months to become positive (seroconversion); in the meanwhile, a patient may have a false-negative result. Confirmation of the presence of the virus is by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR). This test is more expensive and hence avoided when risk of infection is deemed low. It may come up positive much earlier after infection (sometimes several weeks). rtPCR can also confirm which genomic type (see below) of the virus is present, which may determine the treatment regimen best suited for the patient.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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Aethlon Medical Launches Hepatitis-C Clinical Trial
From Worldwide Biotech, 11/1/05

Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD), San Diego, has announced that human clinical trials to treat patients infected with the Hepatitis-C virus (HCV) are now underway at the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, India. The primary objective of the trial is to demonstrate the safety of Aethlon's Hemopurifier(TM) treatment technology. The secondary objective of the trial will be to obtain preliminary efficacy data related to serologic and virologic markers, including viral load measurements before and after treatment with the Hemopurifier(TM).

Aethlon Chairman and CEO, James A. Joyce, stated, "Five years ago, our vision that a device could capture circulating viruses and toxins was purely conceptual. Today, I thank the researchers, advisors, and shareholders who were instrumental in executing the development phase of our vision." Joyce continued, "As a result, we now have the opportunity to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of our device in a clinical setting. If successful, we will provide new hope to those afflicted with Hepatitis-C and other infectious diseases."

According to the World Health Organization, Hepatitis-C (HCV) is a global disease with approximately 190 million persons infected. The infected population in India exceeds 12.5 million. In the United States, HCV is the most common blood-born infection with approximately 3.9 million citizens infected. HCV is a leading cause for liver disease and the most common reason for liver transplantation. Unfortunately, only 50% of HCV infected respond to the current standard of Interferon and Ribavirin treatment. Interferon and Ribavirin regimens are expensive and are known to have serious side effects.

Individuals enrolled in the initial trial are HCV-infected patients that require kidney dialysis as a result of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Approximately 30-35% of all ESRD patients are infected with HCV, and as a result of their condition, are unable to endure the toxicity of HCV drug treatment. Follow-on studies are planned to evaluate the ability of the Hemopurifier to improve patient response rates to Interferon and Ribavirin as a conjunctive therapy, and as a stand-alone treatment for patients who are either unable to endure or do not respond to the current standard of care. The trial will also serve as a means to obtain human safety data, which will be submitted in conjunction with planned regulatory initiatives to treat the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and drug and vaccine resistant Biological Weapons. Initial safety data and preliminary efficacy observations from the trial are expected to be available within the next sixty days.

About Aethlon Medical

Aethlon Medical is pioneering the development of immunotherapeutic devices able to mimic the immune response of clearing viruses and viral toxins from circulation. The company's lead product, the Hemopurifier(TM), converges the established principals of hemodialysis and affinity chromatography with the discovery of compounds that effectively adhere to the surface of a multiple envelope viruses. The Hemopurifier(TM) is targeted to treat acute and chronic infectious diseases, including, drug and vaccine resistant Biological Weapons, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and the Hepatitis-C Virus (HCV). The company has an experienced management team, which receives support and guidance from globally recognized science and regulatory advisors representing the infectious disease, biowarfare, and dialysis industries.

For more information about Hemopurifier technology, visit http://www.aethlonmedical.com or call 858/459-7800, ext. 300.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Worldwide Videotex
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