Infectious Diseases

Answer 1 Female gender. The natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection varies among the persons infected. Generally, chronic infection will develop in about 60% to 85% of patients with the disease. Factors associated with spontaneous clearance of infection include younger age at time of infection and female gender. Accelerated progression to chronic liver disease is associated with male sex, an older age at time of infection, alcohol intake, and coinfection with other viruses, including HIV.1 Viral genotypes 2 and 3 are associated with better response to antiviral therapy. REFERENCE 1. Lauer GM, Walker BD. Hepatitis C virus infection. N Engl J Med 2001;345:41-52. Click here to return to the questions

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