Hepatitis C Therapy
“Treatment is recommended for all patients with acute or chronic HCV infection, except those with a short life expectancy that cannot be remediated by HCV therapy, liver transplantation, or another directed therapy.” ~Association for the Study of Liver Disease
Introduction
The days of Interferon treatment are over. Medications for hepatitis C today can be as simple as one pill a day for 8 -12 weeks with minial or no side-effects. Caring Ambassadors encourages everyone to explore their option for treatment, make a plan with your health care team, then get rid of the virus!
The major goals of treatment for chronic hepatitis C are:
- eliminate the virus from the body (cure!)
- restore normal liver function (as shown by liver-specific blood tests)
- prevent further liver damage (shown by improvement or stabilization on the liver biopsy or other non-invasive tests)
- improve overall health and well-being
A sustained response is defined as continued undetectable HCV in the blood 12 weeks after the completion of treatment. At this point, a person is considered cured of chronic hepatitis C.1