Hepatitis C Treatment

Hepatitis C is a disease which often exhibits no symptoms. This is of concern as the virus responsible for this form of hepatitis attacks the liver and most don't know they are infected until liver damage appears, often decades later. The virus leads to inflammation which causes this damage and it is the most serious of all hepatitis disorders.

Often transmitted though contaminated blood, this disease must be caught early to prevent liver damage. A diagnosis does not necessarily mean that a hepatitis C treatment plan will be established. When the liver shows only slight abnormalities, the risk of future problems is low enough that monitoring may be all that is needed. In some cases though, further treatment will be required.

Your medical practitioner may prescribe antiviral medications during the course of your hepatitis C treatment. The goal of these medications is to remove the virus from the body. A combination of medications may need to be taken over a period of several weeks. Once the medications have been finished, your blood will be tested for HCV. If the virus is still present in the body, a second course of treatment may be needed. These medications come with side effects which you should be aware of. Fatigue, headache, depression, and fever are just a few. If they become severe, treatment will need to be delayed or stopped completely.

Vaccinations are often recommended as part of hepatitis C treatment. The vaccines will protect you against the A and B varieties of hepatitis. As both the A and B viruses can lead to liver damage they may complicate your treatment program. This is standard practice in most cases.

When the liver suffers severe damage, the only option in terms of hepatitis C treatment may be a liver transplant. With this procedure, the damaged organ is replaced with a healthy liver. In most cases, the healthy liver comes from a deceased donor. Only a small portion come from donors who are still living. This is not a cure and antiviral medications must be continued after the transplant. If they are not, the infection will most likely return. Your medical professional will help you to determine which is the best course of action in your case.