Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar;33(5):559-65.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04549.x. Epub 2010 Dec 29.

The natural history of acute hepatitis C: clinical presentation, laboratory findings and treatment outcomes

R Loomba  1 , M M Rivera, R McBurney, Y Park, V Haynes-Williams, B Rehermann, H J Alter, S K Herrine, T J Liang, J H Hoofnagle, T Heller
Affiliations

The natural history of acute hepatitis C: clinical presentation, laboratory findings and treatment outcomes

R Loomba et al. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Acute hepatitis C has variable modes of presentation and frequently results in chronic infection. Its optimal management has yet to be defined.

Aim: To establish natural history and complications of treatment of acute hepatitis C.

Methods: Data from all patients presenting with acute hepatitis C to the National Institutes of Health between 1994 and 2007 were reviewed.

Results: Twenty-five patients were identified. Symptoms were reported by 80% and jaundice by 40%. Aminotransferase levels and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels fluctuated greatly; 18% of patients were intermittently negative for HCV RNA. Five patients recovered spontaneously whereas 20 developed chronicity or received interferon-based therapy during the acute phase. Among 15 patients treated during the acute phase with peginterferon with or without ribavirin for 24 weeks, all became HCV RNA negative within 4-8 weeks, and all except two (HIV-positive) achieved a sustained virological response. Side effects (particularly psychiatric) were common and limited treatment in 30%.

Conclusions: Among 25 patients with acute HCV infection, fluctuating illness was common and spontaneous recovery occurred in only 20%. Anti-viral treatment with a 24-week course of peginterferon and ribavirin was highly effective, but marked by frequent and severe side effects.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No conflicts of interest exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Extreme Fluctuations in Viral Levels in Three Patients Pre-Treatment. Levels below 100 IU/ml were reported as negative.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kim WR. The burden of hepatitis C in the United States. Hepatology. 2002 Nov;36(5 Suppl 1):S30–4. - PubMed
    1. Liang TJ, Rehermann B, Seeff LB, Hoofnagle JH. Pathogenesis, natural history, treatment, and prevention of hepatitis C. Ann Intern Med. 2000 Feb 15;132(4):296–305. - PubMed
    1. Grant WC, Jhaveri RR, McHutchison JG, Schulman KA, Kauf TL. Trends in health care resource use for hepatitis C virus infection in the United States. Hepatology. 2005 Dec;42(6):1406–13. - PubMed
    1. Seeff LB, Hoofnagle JH. Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in areas of low hepatitis B and hepatitis C endemicity. Oncogene. 2006 Jun 26;25(27):3771–7. - PubMed
    1. Seeff LB, Hoofnagle JH. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference: management of hepatitis C: 2002. Hepatology. 2002 Nov;36(5 Suppl 1):S1–2. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms