Hepatitis C is a disease in which the hepatitis C virus infects the liver. Treatment for hepatitis C can depend on how damaged your liver is, how much hepatitis C virus you have in your body, what type of hepatitis C you have, and other health conditions. Treating hepatitis C can be expensive and cause some serious side effects; even more disheartening is that not all people respond to treatments. However, most people with hepatitis C can manage the disease and lead normal, fulfilling lives.
Besides treatment, many of those with hepatitis C will need additional support to cope and learn how to live with the illness.
Treating Short-term (Acute) Hepatitis C
15% of cases of exposure to the hepatitis C virus results in acute hepatitis C. Most of this 15% are people who get acute hepatitis C but do not know they have the virus and thus, don’t get treated. This typically happens to those who are young and female.
In other cases, those who know they may have been exposed to the virus and seek treatment can be diagnosed early with acute hepatitis C. These people typically get treated with medicine, though there are some debate on when to begin treatment for acute hepatitis C and how long treatment for acute hepatitis C should be. Whatever the answer may be, treatment for acute hepatitis can help prevent long-term, or chronic, infection.
Treating Long-term (Chronic) Hepatitis C
Because there are typically no outward symptoms of hepatitis C upon initially getting infected, about 80% of all hepatitis C cases end up as chronic hepatitis C.
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Antiviral Medicines
Chronic hepatitis C can be treated by taking a combination of different antiviral medicines. This is done to help fight viral infection and prevent serious illnesses such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. Treatment lasts about 12 weeks to a year. However, it is possible that the infection will not respond to the treatment, and worsen the illness. There are various factors that can contribute to the success or failure of treating hepatitis C with antiviral medicines, thus one should research and consult their doctor about risks, side effects, and other concerns before deciding to go with this treatment.
Whether or not one decides to take antiviral medicines to treat the disease, routine blood tests are needed in order to keep doctors informed on how well your liver is working.
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Palliative Care
This is a specific, special kind of care for those who have chronic or serious illnesses. The goal of palliative care is to help manage the patient’s illness and improve their quality of life.
Palliative care providers will work with the individual patient to help manage pain and/or side effects, as well as inform and help you decide on treatment for your illness. They may also provide additional emotional support and help you and your loved ones cope with your illness.
Palliative care can be received whether you are or are not receiving treatment for hepatitis C.
Treatment of Relapse or Nonresponse
As previously mentioned, sometimes antiviral medicines treatment for hepatitis C do not work. After first round of treatment, the patient can choose whether or not to undergo treatment again, with a different combination of antiviral medicines. This decision is based on several factors, such as how well one tolerated and responded to the first round of treatment. It is highly recommended to consult your doctor before making the decision to undergo treatment again.
Treatment if the Condition Gets Worse
Typically it takes 20 or more years for severe liver damage caused by chronic hepatitis C to develop. If the illness continues to get worse and does not respond to the antiviral medicines treatment, liver failure may occur. In this case, a liver transplant may be the only viable treatment option. However, if you are drinking alcohol, sharing needles to inject drugs, or have severe depression or other mental illnesses, you may not be eligible for a liver transplant.
End-of-life Issues
Most people with chronic hepatitis C do not die from the disease, however about 1 to 5 out of every 100 people will die due to complications or severe liver damage caused by chronic hepatitis C. Some could die from complications that arise during liver transplantations.
In these severe cases, patients can choose to enter palliative care, hospice care, or receive curative treatment.
What to think about
While there are no vaccines currently available to treat hepatitis C, there are vaccines available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. It is a good idea to receive these vaccines as they can prevent you from having further liver problems and contracting similar diseases.
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