Hepatitis C Virus and Kidney Disease: Evidence, Hope, and Hurdles

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health threat. The available data suggests that HCV prevalence is at about 2-3% of the world’s population (130-170 million people), and in 2013 alone almost 700,000 deaths were directly attributed to HCV. In spite of this tremendous burden, globally less than 1% of people with a chronic hepatitis infection were receiving treatment, and HCV is one of the few communicable disorders that continue to grow, with a 47% increase in mortality over the last two decades.[2] The majority of HCV-infected individuals are unaware of their infection, and screening for HCV was not recommended until recently. This may facilitate the spread of HCV not only in high-risk groups, but also in populations with low HCV prevalence affected by the recent humanitarian crisis with mass migration from regions with higher HCV rates. In May 2016 the World Health Organization adopted the first-ever global strategy to reduce the incidence of all viral hepatitis by 90%, and mortality by 65% by 2030, which requires both the prevention of HCV transmission in high-risk groups and effective treatment for individuals already infected.