Antibodies – a special protein made by the body’s defence (immune) system to fight and neutralise a foreign substance.
Cirrhosis – loss of normal liver function due to severe scarring (fibrosis), irregular bumps (nodules) and hardening of the liver caused by long-term, continuous damage.
Enzymes – chemicals (proteins) made by the body that have very exact jobs, triggering specific actions in the body.
Gastroenterologist – a doctor who specialises in problems of the throat, stomach, bowel (gut) and in diseases of the liver.
HBV – hepatitis B virus.
HCV – hepatitis C virus.
Hepatologist – a doctor who specialises in treating liver diseases.
Hepatic – anything relating to the liver.
Inferior vena cava – the large vein that carries blood back to the heart from the lower part of the body.
Jaundice – a condition in which the whites of the eyes go yellow; in severe cases skin does too. This is caused by the yellow pigment (bilirubin) which is normally disposed of by the liver.
ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) – also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition in which a person always feels tired without a clear-cut medical reason.
RNA – ribonucleic acid, essential for the manufacture of proteins. The genes of HCV and HIV are contained in the virus encoded as RNA and are referred to as RNA-viruses. Other viruses such as HBV are DNA-viruses.
Seroconversion – the point when the body starts to make antibodies in response to the presence of an antigen (a foreign body), such as a bacterium, virus or vaccine.
Viral load – the amount of virus in your blood.