Hepatitis C Treatment
Hepatitis C Treatment
Hepatitis C infection is a prevalent chronic disease; HCV (hepatitis C Virus) infects over 150 million men and women around the world, many of who do not even realize they have got it.
More or less 3% (170 million) of the planet’s human population has been infected with the virus HCV.
For the majority of countries, the occurrence of HCV infection is less than 3%. The incidence is greater (up to 15%) in some countries in Africa and Asia, and greatest (over 15%) in Egypt.
Chronic hepatitis C infection is the No. 1 cause of liver cancer and liver transplantation in the States. The most frequent mode of transmission in the United States is through sharing drug-injecting equipment among injecting drug users.
Exactly who ought to look at treatment?
Only patients having hepatitis C in their blood (chronic hepatitis C infection) are regarded for treatment. In general, medical doctors advise therapy if you:
- have high liver enzyme levels, particularly ALT levels
- have a liver biopsy that confirmed damage (inflammation, and particularly fibrosis)
- have not consumed alcoholic beverages or various other drugs for at least 6 months
If you want to start therapy for hepatitis C, consult with your physician. It’s a good idea to talk about any concerns you have before you begin therapy. You and your medical doctor will decide if medication and therapy is right for you and which medications may possibly work.
What treatment options are effective?
A number of treatment options for hepatitis C been authorized by the Food and drug administration:
- long-acting (pegylated) interferon bundled along with another drug named ribavirin (combination therapy)
- long-acting (pegylated) interferon on its own
- short-acting (standard) interferon along with ribavirin
How much time does therapy last?
Treatment time can vary. In general, conventional combination treatment lasts between 24 and 48 weeks, with 6 months of follow-up after therapy has ended. If a patient is treated in a clinical trial, treatment duration may be adjusted.
Occasionally, if the therapy is not effective or if you have too many unwanted side effects, your physician may stop your therapy ahead of time.
How effective is therapy?
In patients who finish drug treatment, the virus is eliminated from the blood somewhere between 20-80% of the time, based upon on a number of factors. In the majority of patients, the likelihood of clearing the virus is in the 40-50% range.
Deciding on a treatment method
If you are ready to start drug therapies, consult with your medical doctor about which treatment method is right for you. Numerous things need to be considered before you commence therapy. Your physician will need to know more about the total amount of the virus in your blood (viral load) and the type of hepatitis C virus (genotype) that you have.
The following are a few inquiries in which you ought to talk about with your physician:
- Do I need to start therapy?
- Exactly what is my genotype and how can it affect my treatment results?
- What exactly is my viral load and how can it affect my treatment results?
- What type of treatment method should I receive?
- How long will therapy last?
- Do I have any other circumstances that could complicate therapy?
- Should I be screened for hepatitis A and B?
- Do I require a liver biopsy?
- What prescription drugs should I stay away from while I am on treatment?
- What safety measures do I need to take while I am on treatment?
- How frequently will I have physician appointments?
- What medical tests will I need to take?
- How will therapy have an effect on my everyday life? Will therapy affect my capacity to work?
- What unwanted side effects will I have?
- Are there any long-term hazards from therapy?
