Ivana Valková, Pavol Kristian
Viral hepatitis C is the most common infectious disease that causes chronic liver disease in developed countries. There are approximately 170 million people infected worldwide, which correlates with the overall prevalence of 3 %. Prevalence of anti-HCV in Slovak population is about 1.52 %, with 35 000 people suffering from chronic hepatitis C. Hepatitis C virus is transmitted by parenteral route. The most hazardous risk factors of transmission are receiving blood products before 1992, intravenous drug abuse, sexual intercourse, organ transplantation, invasive medical procedures, non sterile tattoo and piercing. Considering the fact that clinical course of the disease is often asymptomatic, early recognition and diagnosis can be challenging.