This trial is evaluating whether Tele-HCV will improve 1 primary outcome and 3 secondary outcomes in patients with Hepatitis C. Measurement will happen over the course of 4 weeks.
This trial requires 300 total participants across 2 different treatment groups
This trial involves 2 different treatments. Tele-HCV is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. There is no placebo group. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
No cure exists for Hepatitis C. Current therapy provides a long-term suppression of HCV RNA levels and is the best treatment available. However, it is recommended that treatment be continued indefinitely to prevent progression to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.
There is a clear and consistent association between alcoholism and hepatitis C. Infection can occur via sexual activity, with or without condoms due to the fact that blood-borne pathogens may be deposited in the female reproductive tract following sexual intercourse. Furthermore, hepatitis C is associated with increased likelihoods of concurrent and subsequent alcoholic-associated cirrhosis. There are no major behavioral risk factors that can increase the likelihood of acquiring hepatitis C. In fact, some studies have found that heterosexuals living under conditions of high socioeconomic deprivation may be at an increased risk for hepatitis C.
Noninvasive blood testing is available to screen for hepatitis B and HCV infection. In cases of positive serum screen for HBV, the blood is usually discarded (or sent to a laboratory); however, in HCV-infected individuals, antivirals may be prescribed to control infection. The number of HCV treatments are not static and will change over time with more data accumulated from different research disciplines. Newer therapies may increase the number of patients’ lives being saved.
Hepatitis C accounts for about 80% of the chronic viral hepatitis in Hong Kong. The seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus doubled over five years. Older age and male gender, but not a positive serology, were independent risk factors for hepatitis C.
While HCV is one of the most common diseases, it remains a relatively rare cause of acute hepatitis in the community. Because of its high fatality rates, hepatitis C has become a major public health cause, making it necessary to screen and to treat. However, some health care practitioners may not have adequate knowledge and training concerning this disease.
Many people with HCV do not show any symptoms. Hepatic symptoms are commonly described as malaise and abdominal pain. Some symptoms show that advanced liver disease may be present such as jaundice and aflatoxemia. Patients with HCV often develop fatigue and loss of appetite. The main indicator of cirrhosis is the presence of ascites. As cirrhosis of the liver progresses, patients develop esophageal varices, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, ascites, and liver failure. If cirrhosis is left untreated, the patient may experience severe bleeding in the stomach or intestines. Hepatitis C is associated with a significantly high risk of liver cancer or of worsening of decompensated cirrhosis.
At the current time in the USA, the only options for testing if a person is positive for hepatitis C virus are either through lab testing or through testing that is performed within the hospital. The use of internet-based testing is a possible future way to test whether a person has contracted hepatitis C virus. The CDC states online tests for hepatitis C virus are accurate to 90% accuracy, the only caveat being there is a small chance that the user may receive an incorrect result. Tele-hcv utilizes the user to fill out an agreement form with the user's physician.
HCV infections can be fatal, but death is uncommon, and many live with chronic disabling disease. Complications arising from serious, chronic liver disease are common in HCV-infected patients such as hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma. The prevalence of cirrhosis and its consequences are increased in patients with genotype 1 and the progression of liver disease is more marked in Asians. Chronic active viral hepatitis appears to be a poor surrogate for determining the liver transplantation-free survival in HCV-infected patients.
Results from a recent clinical trial of this survey suggest that genetic factors play a role in hepatitis C recurrence in a large percentage of infected patients, justifying genetic studies of this virus in high-risk groups in an effort to identify patients who can be monitored more closely in the context of the therapeutic and prophylactic approaches to the disease.
For the first time, we present the first data about an epigenetic role of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in the hepatic fibrosis of hepatitis C. CB1 receptors have a previously known role in the modulation of cellular cholesterol homeostasis, which could lead to an enhanced hepatic injury in viral-associated viral hepatitis. The data imply that epigenetic research is a major target in the treatment of hepatic inflammatory processes such as hepatitis C.
On average hepatitis C affects an average of 37 yr old and for many patients, the disease has a gradual onset and a more insidious, insidious onset than the flu or other viral symptoms. For many it usually has no visible symptoms at all and only becomes diagnosed once the patients doctors notice the mildly elevated liver enzymes. For many patients they become aware of the damage they are doing to themselves only when they notice their cognitive decline or memory loss.