Hepatitis C Technical Terms Explained

Ascites - see oedema

AFP - Blood Test result - see here

Albumin - Liver Function Test result - see here

ALT - Liver Function Test result - see here

Anaemia - Blood condition whose name means 'shortage of iron' but is frequently misleading as the most common type associated with Hepatitis C does not result from a shortage of iron, but rather the red cells that carry it. See Haemolytic Anaemia.

AST - Liver Function Test result - see here

Bilirubin - Liver Function Test result - see here

Biopsy - Where a sample of tissue is taken for laboratory examination. See here.

Clotting Time - Blood Test result - Also known as Prothrombin time - time taken for blood to form a clot. See here

Combo or Combination therapy - treatment with two or more drugs - usually taken to mean a combination of interferon and ribavirin.

Diabetes - Condition which affects the body's ability to use sugar to produce energy. Occasionally, type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes may develop during Hepatitis C treatment. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. The condition is controlled by a combination of drugs and diet.

Dx = Diagnosis

Epoetin (EPO) - See Haemolytic Anaemia

EVR - Enhanced Virological Response - A treatment milestone, usually meaning that virus levels have dropped to a point where there is a good chance of a cure. (Sometimes taken to mean Early Viral Response - close but not quite right) Usually it is taken as being a 2 log drop in virus level. (See 2 log below)

GGT - Liver Function Test result - see here

Haematocrit - Blood Test result - Measure of the volume of red cells in blood. See here

Haemochromatosis - (Iron Overload) - Condition where liver and blood become overloaded with iron. Primary haemochromatosis is hereditary, but secondary haemochromatosis is a side effect of HCV treatment caused by dying red cells being broken down and their iron flooding the liver. (see Haemolytic anaemia) It causes scarring or liver fibrosis leading to cirrhosis. Symptoms include abdominal pain, jaundice, swelling of the ankles or abdomen (oedema) and enlargement of the liver or spleen. Treatment is by low iron diet and by removing and discarding blood.

Haemoglobin (Hb) - Blood Test result - Measure of the iron content of blood. Tends to drop during treatment. See here

Haemolytic Anaemia - type of anaemia caused by treatment destroying red blood cells. Usually has symptoms of breathlessness and fatigue. Dying red cells are broken down by the liver which tends to become overloaded with iron as a consequence, hence the use of iron supplements during treatment is not advised. Some cases of haemolytic anaemia may be alleviated by epoetin, which is a hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to produce red cells. The treatment is very expensive, and not commonly available in the UK.

HCV - Hepatitis C Virus of course!

Interferon - One of two primary drugs used to treat Hepatitis C, usually by weekly injection. Common trade names are Pegasys, PegIntron and Viraferon.

Iron Overload - See Haemochromatosis

Jaundice - Where the whites of your eyes and skin develop a yellowish tint. Symptom of gall bladder/bile duct problems and liver disease, (except for newborn infants where the cause is usually different.) Colouration is due to an excess of bilirubin in the bloodstream.

LFT - Liver Function Tests. (see Blood Tests)

Monotherapy - treatment with a single drug, usually Interferon. Not the treatment of choice nowadays, but occasionally used when patients cannot tolerate ribavirin.

Neutrophils - Blood Test result - Infection fighting white blood cells whose numbers tend to drop during treatment. See here

Non-Responder - Patient whose response to medication has been judged to be sufficiently low as to make continued similar treatment non-viable. Not to be confused with 'untreatable' - there is no such thing!

Oedema - abnormal build up of fluid in the body tissues. This frequently appears as swollen ankles, but fluid build up in the chest and abodomen also occur. Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, a complication of cirrhosis, is known as ascites. Can also be caused or increased by excess water intake. Oedema should not be ignored!

PCR - Polymerase Chain Reaction - Technique used to amplify small quantities of virus etc to a point where they are measureable. Two types of PCR tests are used to measure whether the virus is present (qualitative) or in what quantity (quantitative or viral load).

PCR Negative - Virus undetectable by PCR test.

PCT - Primary Care Trust - the 'local' body in charge of UK regional health care.

Pegylated - Describes a substance, usually Interferon, where a long 'tail' of inert molecules have been added to the end of each active molecule, to slow down the rate at which it is absorbed and excreted from the body. The 'tail' is usually polyethelene glycol (PEG), hence the name. Pegylation of interferon allows weekly injections rather than three times per week.

Platelets - Blood Test result - Type of red cells that carry oxygen around the body. Tends to drop during treatment causing Haemolytic anaemia. See here

Prothrombin Time - Blood Test result - Also known as Clotting Time - time taken for blood to form a clot. See here

RBC - Red blood cell count. Blood Test result - see here

Relapser - Patient who appears to have cleared the virus, only to find it returns some time after treatment has finished.

Ribavirin - Second primary drug used to treat Hepatitis C - usually by twice daily tablets. Common trade names Rebetol, Copegus. Slang is riba or ribs.

Riba Rage - Slang for the phases of irritability that frequently accompany treatment. (Actually incorrectly named as the culprit is interferon!)

Ultrasound Scan - Non-invasive examination frequently used to check for anomalies in soft tissue. (and pregnancy!)

RNA - Ribo Neucleic Acid - The same as DNA in humans but applied to a virus - the building blocks that the virus is made from.

SVR - Sustained Virological Response - Simply means that the virus has been undetectable for a period of time. Usually 6 months or more. Term used by doctors reluctant to use the word 'cure' as there is a small chance (around 1%) that the virus will come back.

TCM - Traditional Chinese Medicine

Treatment Naive - patient who has not received any treatment for this condition.

Tx = Treatment

URQ - Upper Right Quadrant - Top right side of your body including the area which contains most of your liver. Occasionally site of pain in Hepatitis C cases.

Varices - (Esophageal varices) - Varices are a life-threatening complication of portal hypertension (increased blood pressure in the portal vein caused by liver disease) which causes the veins to balloon outward. They may rupture, causing vomiting of blood and bloody stools. Liver transplantation is usually considered the only cure, but surgery may help or delay progression.

Viral Load, Viral Assay - Measure of the amount of virus in the bloodstream. Usually quoted in virus particles per millilitre of blood. (Also known as Quantitative PCR.)

WBC - Blood Test result - White blood cell count. See here

2 Log, 3 Log, etc - Measure of the drop in viral load (see above) during treatment. 2 Log drop is a drop to one hundredth of the original (baseline) figure, 3 log drop is to one thousandth, 4 log is to one ten thousandth etc. Name comes from logarithm of numbers. Term used to confuse patients, and allow doctors to stick to numbers they can handle without running out of fingers.

Return to Site Front Page   Front Page of Guide  Next Page of Guide