1. Hepatitis Slideshow Pictures
2. Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures
3. Infectious Mononucleosis Slideshow Pictures

Pharmacy Author:

Annette (Gbemudu) Ogbru, PharmD, MBA

Annette (Gbemudu) Ogbru, PharmD, MBA

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Medical and Pharmacy Editor:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Acute HCV infection: When a patient first acquires HCV, the infection is labeled acute. Patients with acute HCV do not typically have symptoms, and therefore, are not diagnosed as being infected. From a treatment standpoint there is no standardized approach to treatment of acute HCV when it is detected, and in most situations experts prefer to hold off treatment for about 8-12 weeks to determine if the virus will disappear.

In cases of chronic HCV when liver tests appear only slightly abnormal (with low risk for liver complications), health care experts may choose to recommend follow-up blood testing to monitor the activity of the inflammation in the liver without initiating treatment, although this approach is controversial.

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