HEPATITIS C

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HEPATITIS C

There is a disease spreading out in the world called Hepatitis C. It affects the liver and may cause the liver to fail. This disease is caused by a virus called Hepatitis C virus which is also known as HCV. About 32,000 people are affected with this disease per year only in the United States area. Some It’s a disease with many symptoms and many causes. of these symptoms are easy bruising, upset stomach and fever. These are just some of the many symptoms that come from the virus. Hepatitis Cs nature of the causative agent is determined by many things. The biological data of this disease is filled so much information. It is estimated that over 180 million people have gotten Hepatitis C and it is growing.

When Hepatitis C Virus becomes chronic, that’s when it gets serious. The chronic Hepatitis C will scar the liver. The chronic Hepatitis C is usually found out in a check up because it does not have any symptoms. Usually 55 to 85 percent of people who have hepatitis C will be infected with the chronic Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C turns on the immune system. The immune system fights very hard to get rid of this virus. But it is very difficult for the immune system to eliminate this virus. UT Southwestern scientists say RIG-I and LGP2 turn on and off the immune response to Hepatitis C. RIG-I and LGP2 are two proteins that are part of the immune system in the body to kill the virus that has infected the body. RIG-I makes the body generate an immune response when a virus enters. Once the virus is gone, LGP2 will turn off the signals of RIG-I.

“This knowledge will help us design drugs that mimic the viral effects on these proteins to either activate a host’s immune response or shut it down,” said Dr. Michael Gale, associate ...

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