Infectious disease: hepatitis CKnown as the “silent epidemic”, hepatitis C has continued to progress for many years without a definitive cure. This dangerous disease has claimed the lives of many people, who sometimes do not see any signs or symptoms until serious damage is inflicted on their liver. This article will discuss different factors involved in hepatitis C, such as: history, chain of infection, treatments, statistics, development and transmission, as well as future research. The article will also highlight the different roles that nurses must assume when caring for patients with hepatitis C. Historical OverviewHepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that leads to scarring and inflammation of the liver. It results from infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is transmitted primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person (“Hepatitis C FAQs for the Public [CDC],” 2014) . After the discovery of hepatitis A in 1973 and hepatitis B in 1963, all cases of acute or chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis without an identifiable cause were classified as non-A non-B hepatitis (NANB ). In 1987, a group of scientists from the Chiron Biotechnology company cloned the causative agent of the hepatitis virus NANB. They decided to call it hepatitis C virus. By taking frozen blood from patients, what was thought to be unidentified hepatitis was actually hepatitis C (Moore, 2006). Natural History of Hepatitis C The natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is somewhat vague, due to the conflicting research methods used. to determine the progression of the disease across studies. In many research studies, there appears to be an inconsistency in natural history between infected groups. For example, the risk of pr...... middle of paper ......mat (telaprevir and boceprevir). These new oral antiviral medications have shown significant improvement in cure rates for patients infected with genotype (strain) 1. Cure rates of approximately 80% for genotypes 1 to 3 can now be achieved by some patients. The duration of treatment is usually 6 to 12 months, but can last 12 to 72 weeks in some cases (Poll, 2012). Related Research There are many organizations and support groups that a person with HCV can go to for get more information and help. . Some are the American Liver Foundation, HEP C Connection, Hepatitis C Awareness Project, Hepatitis C Global Foundation, Hepatitis Foundation International and Hepatitis C Support Project. Research has also shown that hepatitis C can induce insulin resistance, which will increase the risk of liver fibrosis and type II diabetes. (Everson and Weinberg, 2006). Impact of the disease