A 42-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 3-month history of fatigue and muscle pain. Over the past month, she has had intermittent episodes of nausea. She has a history of intravenous drug use, but she has not used illicit drugs for the past five years. She has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 14 years and drinks one alcoholic beverage daily. She takes no medications. Her last visit to a physician was 4 years ago. Her temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F), pulse is 90/min, respirations are 20/min, and blood pressure is 110/70 mm Hg. Physical examination shows jaundice and hepatosplenomegaly. Hepatitis C infection is confirmed with positive HCV RNA testing. After appropriate counseling is provided, combination therapy with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir is planned. This treatment is most likely to help clear the infection through which of the following mechanisms?

Question

A 42-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 3-month history of fatigue and muscle pain. Over the past month, she has had intermittent episodes of nausea. She has a history of intravenous drug use, but she has not used illicit drugs for the past five years. She has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 14 years and drinks one alcoholic beverage daily. She takes no medications. Her last visit to a physician was 4 years ago. Her temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F), pulse is 90/min, respirations are 20/min, and blood pressure is 110/70 mm Hg. Physical examination shows jaundice and hepatosplenomegaly. Hepatitis C infection is confirmed with positive HCV RNA testing.  After appropriate counseling is provided, combination therapy with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir is planned.  This treatment is most likely to help clear the infection through which of the following mechanisms?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is treated with direct-acting antiviral (DAAs) medications such as ledipasvir and sofosbuvir.  These medications target specific HCV enzymes (eg, protease, NS5A, RNA polymerase), which inhibits viral replication and assembly.  Treatment with DAAs results in cure in >97% of patients.

A 42-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Physician Because of a 3-Month