Hepatitis C virus (HCV), once known as non-A non-B Hepatitis, has become a major priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) because of its impact on the veterans that it serves. According to a recent report, provided by the Under Secretary's office, a significant portion of the veteran population has it.

According to the report, 20 percent of those tested at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., indicated positive to HCV antibodies. Ten percent of those veterans tested at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco, Calif., also tested positive. Even more alarming is the fact that 52 percent of liver-transplant patients have it.

Additionally, "An electronic survey of 125 VA medical centers conducted by the Infectious Disease Program Office from February through December of 1997, identified 14,958 VA patients who tested positive for HCV antibody. Clearly, HCV infection is becoming a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The incidence and prevalence rates are higher among nonwhite racial and ethnic groups" (Hepatitis C: Standards For Provider Evaluation and Testing, Under Secretary For Health's Information Letter, June 11, 1998.

The veteran community is not isolated to HCV exposure. According to the report, it is believed that 4 million Americans have it. Approximately 30,000 new incidents of HCV occur each year, of which only 25 to 30 percent will be properly diagnosed. HCV accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths per year and this number, according to the Under Secretary's report, will possibly triple within the next decade or two.

The reason why HCV is so difficult for doctors to deal with is the fact that it contains numerous elements that make it difficult for the immune system to detect. By the time detection takes place, the virus has made significant progress making recovery difficult. In most cases, it leads to chronic liver disease, which can be very serious.

"Chronic active hepatitis is an autoimmune disease; that is, your body forms antibodies, or normally protective substances, that attack liver cells and cause the inflammation. Nobody knows why such self-destructive reactions take place" (Chronic Active Hepatitis, The American Medical Association Family Medical Guide, Random House, New York).

According to the AMA Family Medical Guide, the symptoms include weakness, brownish urine, no appetite, jaundice, nausea, abdominal pains, and whitish bowel movements. These symptoms usually disipate after four to six weeks. The above manifestations are usually milder in patients with HCV than those who have Hepatitis A or B.

At this time, all VA patients are being evaluated for HCV risk.

Editor's Note: To read the full report, go to:
http://www.va.gov/publ/direc/health/infolet/109813.htm

Copyright(c)1999 Allan B. Colombo