In the past two years, under the leadership of Professor Wei Lai, the leader of the Hepatitis C Project of the National 11th Five-Year Plan Major Science and Technology Project, the Institute of Liver Diseases of Peking University People’s Hospital has organized and participated in a number of patient education projects: “Together with you”, “Hope Home”, the “Hundred Hospitals Walk with You, One Million Patients Fight Hepatitis B Together”, “Treat Hepatitis C Early, Say Goodbye to Sick Liver” and other programs. Hepatitis C can easily turn into chronic hepatitis – the “hidden killer” Many people mistakenly believe that hepatitis C is similar to hepatitis B, but it is not. Hepatitis C starts insidiously, usually with fatigue and weakness, and is easily overlooked, but the disease continues to progress unnoticed. Most patients with chronic hepatitis C have no conscious symptoms for 10 or even 20 years of the disease, or occasionally have inconspicuous digestive discomfort, and a significant number of them are discovered accidentally during a physical examination or while seeking treatment for other diseases. Others are not detected until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. Once infected with hepatitis C, only 20% of those infected spontaneously clear the virus, and 80% of those infected develop chronic hepatitis. Hepatitis C is more likely than hepatitis B to turn into chronic hepatitis and develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer. People with insidious hepatitis C can be a dangerous source of infection. About 40 million people in China are currently infected with hepatitis C, with a population prevalence rate of 3.2%. Data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Infectious Disease Report show that the number of hepatitis C cases in China has increased year by year in recent years, with the number of reported cases quintupling in the last five years, reaching approximately 120,000 in 2008, a six-fold increase from 2003. However, most people know very little about this “hidden killer,” and the results of the 2007 Hepatitis C Awareness Survey sponsored by the China Hepatitis Prevention and Control Foundation show that only 1% of people have a correct understanding of hepatitis C transmission routes and preventive measures, and only 5% of respondents have been tested for hepatitis C antibodies. Even in the United States, the diagnosis rate of chronic hepatitis C is only 20%, and most of these patients are found more than 10 years after they are infected with the hepatitis C virus. Some patients with hepatitis C have developed liver fibrosis or even cirrhosis, but still have no significant discomfort. The top 10 groups at risk for hepatitis C: The main routes of transmission of hepatitis C include, transmission through blood, sexual contact, mother-to-child transmission, and some other unknown routes of transmission. In contrast, kissing, hugging, sneezing, coughing, food, drinking water, sharing utensils and glasses, no skin breaks and other non-blood-exposed contacts generally do not transmit hepatitis C. There are ten high-risk groups for hepatitis C: 1) paid blood donors, especially those with a history of plasma donation; 2) recipients of blood transfusions and organ transplants before 1993; 3) syringe sharing; 4) HIV-infected patients; 5) infants born to hepatitis C-infected mothers; 6) people with needle sticks, knife wounds or mucosal exposure to hepatitis C-positive blood; 7) people who have sex with hepatitis C-infected patients; 8) people who have had interventional consultations Patients (gastroscopy, endoscopy, dental instruments); 9, had tattoos, eyebrows, pierced earrings, etc.; 10, maintain hemodialysis patients. The above ten high-risk groups should be screened for hepatitis C early in order to diagnose, treat and cure the disease early and stop the development of hepatitis C. Screening for hepatitis C can be done by testing for hepatitis C antibodies, and if the hepatitis C antibodies are positive, further testing for hepatitis C virus RNA can be done. Currently, hepatitis C antibodies are available in blood donation tests, but they may not be detected in general health examinations, so high-risk groups should take the initiative to test for hepatitis C antibodies themselves. Hepatitis C can be cured with “three early” prevention and treatment The key to hepatitis C prevention and treatment is “three early”, namely early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment. The treatment of hepatitis C is different from that of hepatitis B. If hepatitis C is diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, it can be cured, which is quite important. After treatment with pegylated interferon alpha in combination with ribavirin, effective clearance of the virus can be obtained in about 70% of patients. Data from the study showed that patients with hepatitis C who obtained a sustained virological response after treatment with these methods were followed up to an average of 4.1 years after discontinuation of the drug, and 99% of patients remained consistently negative for viral RNA and had their disease under control. There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C, but early treatment is completely curable. Currently, pegylated interferon, which is an effective treatment for hepatitis C, is covered by medical insurance in Beijing. Hepatitis C HCV RNA positive, but transaminase levels are not elevated, does the patient need treatment or not? At the 3rd International Liver Summit in Paris, Professor Zhuang Hui, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out that according to the latest research in the international medical community, even patients with hepatitis C with normal transaminase levels may still develop cirrhosis and liver cancer. Academician Zhuang Hui reminded that anyone who is found to be RNA positive for hepatitis C virus should receive standardized treatment at the hospital. Systematic standardized treatment Hepatitis C virus can be completely removed and hepatitis C can be cured. However, in clinical practice, 20% of patients develop refractory hepatitis C. In addition to the patient’s own viral genotype and viral load, non-standardized treatment is also a key factor. For this reason, the Institute of Liver Diseases of Peking University People’s Hospital has established a database of hepatitis C patients, especially those with refractory hepatitis C, based on the 11th Five-Year Plan major project, and has dedicated personnel to manage hepatitis C patients in a standardized manner, with the aim of improving the cure rate of hepatitis C patients.