Hepatitis C, however, continues to attract the most attention from hepatologists. Since 1990, donated blood and blood products have been screened for hepatitis C infection. Prior to that, blood transfusion was responsible for up to 90 percent of all hepatitis C transmission. While researchers learn more about the liver and how it functions, they may be moving closer to adding more letters to the alphabet of liver disease. As was the case with the early diagnosis of hepatitis C, the newest strain is defined by what it is not.
Researchers have a clearer idea about the end product, however.
Better Days There is a lot about hepatitis C that doesn't make sense to researchers or patients. Some hepatitis C patients also are troubled by the stigma attached to acquiring a disease that is often transmitted by intravenous drug addicts. Many hepatitis C patients feel fine and are only diagnosed with the disease, as LaRoe was, when an otherwise routine blood screening detects elevated enzyme levels. Very little is known about the early stages of the disease. In some cases it can remain dormant in the body for many years.