Future directions in management of chronic HCV infection

Hepatitis C is a chronic, often asymptomatic blood-borne infection first identified in the early 1990. (McQuillan et al., 1996).More than 3 million Americans and 170 million persons worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), (Armstrong, et al ., 2006 ) which can result in progressive hepatic injure and fibrosis, culminating in cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease (Thomas , Seeff, 2005). Among adults in the Western world, chronic hepatitis C has a major cause of cirrhosis and a major indication for liver transplantation. Chronic hepatitis C has contributed also to the increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma, for which few satisfactory therapies exist.(Fattovich et al ., 2004).