Pay now or pay (more) later: tracking the costs of hepatitis C infection.

摘要

Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 180 million individuals globally (1), and nearly 1% of Canadians (2). In Canada, its prevalence is increasing due to new infections and immigration from endemic countries, which outpace deaths and cases of spontaneous and treatment-induced viral clearance. Many reports based on mathematical models (2-4) and, more recently, population-based studies (5), suggest that we are in the midst of an epidemic of HCV-related complications that is projected to continue for at least the next decade. Chronic HCV infection has now emerged as the major indication for liver transplantation in most centres, with a growing number of cases complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma.