The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease in the United States. Almost 4 million Americans, or 1.8 percent of the U.S. population, have antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), indicating ongoing or previous infection with the virus. Hepatitis C causes an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 deaths annually in the United States.

HCV is spread primarily by contact with blood and blood products. Blood transfusions and the use of shared, unsterilized, or poorly sterilized needles and syringes have been the main causes of the spread of HCV in the United States. With the introduction in 1991 of routine blood screening for HCV antibody and improvements in the test in mid-1992, transfusion-related HCV has virtually disappeared. At present, injection drug use is the most common risk factor for contracting the disease. However, many patients acquire HCV without any known exposure to blood or to drug use.

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