A 45-year- old man presents for an evaluation of abnormal findings on liver tests detected during an insurance examination. He had a blood transfusion 25 years previously but denies drug or alcohol use. He denies a history of ascites, encephalopathy, or gastrointestinal bleeding.
Laboratory Tests: Complete blood cell count, normal Aspartate aminotransferase, 115 U/L (reference ranges provided parenthetically) (8-48 U/L) Alanine aminotransferase, 137 U/L (7-55 U/L) Albumin, normal International normalized ratio, normal Bilirubin, normal Hepatis C virus antibody, positive Hepatitis C RNA, 200,000 IU/L Hepatitis A virus antibody IgG and IgM, negative Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B surface antibody, negative Human immunodeficiency virus, negative Ultrasonography of the liver, normal Liver biopsy specimen, consistent with hepatitis C infection without cirrhosis. What would be…
