stage III

What does Stage III hepatitis C mean?

[Trinity4]

The time it takes for the liver to progress through the stages of fibrosis varies in each individual. As the patient gets older and has had the virus longer the process speeds up. There are studies now being conducted looking at genetic factors that influence liver damage and its rate.
The Metavir scoring system for patients with hepatitis C when evaluating liver biopsies. The scoring uses both a grade and a stage system. The grade tells you about the activity
or amount of swelling and irritation (inflammation). The stage tells you the amount of fibrosis or scarring.
The grade is usually scored from “0-4.” An “0” is no activity, a “2” is moderate activity, and “3” or “4” are severe activity. The amount of inflammation is important because it may lead to eventual scarring or damage.
0 = no inflammation
1-4 = minimal inflammation
5-8 = mild inflammation
9-12 = moderate inflammation
13-18 = marked inflammation

The fibrosis score is also assigned a number from 0-4:
0 = no scarring
1 = minimal scarring
2 = scarring has occurred and is inside the areas of the liver including blood vessels
3 = bridging fibrosis (the fibrosis is spreading and connecting to other areas that contain fibrosis)   (Stage III)
4 = cirrhosis or advanced scarring of the liver