Description: Hepatitis C, one type of virus known to infect the liver, may progress to chronic liver disease less frequently than has been thought, according to a study published in the Jan. 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. "We have known for some time that not everyone who is infected with hepatitis C [HCV] will go on to develop more severe disease. This study supports findings from other studies we have done showing that HCV infection and chronic liver disease are related, but chronic liver disease does not necessarily follow HCV infection," says lead author Leonard Seeff, MD, senior scientist for hepatitis C at the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, in an interview with WebMD.