The Natural History of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Abstract

There are an estimated 170 million persons worldwide and 3.9 million in the United States who have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).^1,2 Hepatitis C virus infection may be self-limited (viral clearance) or persist.^3-6 Viral clearance occurs in approximately 15% of persons and is assumed to have occurred when HCV RNA cannot be detected in multiple blood samples from someone with HCV-specific antibodies (anti-HCV) or in whom acute infection was observed.^3,4,6,7 In a recent analysis of 43 new HCV infections, we discovered that viral clearance was less common in blacks than whites.⁴ However, these findings have not been confirmed, and there is little additional information regarding other determinates of viral clearance.