[HCV-RNA test in hepatitis C virus infection--a systematic review].

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The severity of disease varies widely from mild illness to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The routine diagnostic test for HCV infection is performed using anti-HCV antibodies and an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for serologic identification and HCV-RNA assay employing the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for genetic identification.