If you have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C recently, you may be wondering what to do next. The most important thing to do is to speak with your doctor to determine what treatment is appropriate for you.
Bear in mind that unless your body has fought off the infection by itself, which happens in only about 15% to 25% of cases, treatment may be needed to control chronic hepatitis C and to help reduce the chances of liver damage.1 Since this disease can get worse and damage your liver over time, the most important thing to do is to speak with your doctor to determine what treatment is appropriate for you.
Early treatment of chronic hepatitis C is critical. The longer a person with hepatitis C remains untreated, the greater the chance he or she will experience fibrosis (scarring) of the liver. All of the currently available therapies for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C involve the use of interferons (proteins that block the replication of virus in body cells) - either alone or in combination with other drugs.
Combination therapy with alpha interferons and ribavirin is associated with many serious side effects and cannot be used by some patients, such as pregnant women and men whose partners are pregnant.
Be sure to read Questions to Ask My Doctor. If your doctor decides treatment is necessary, he or she may choose to treat you or refer you to a specialist such as a gastroenterologist or hepatologist for treatment.
Remember that you're not alone. The Be In Charge® Program is a free service designed to help you cope with your hepatitis C treatment. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, contact the Be In Charge® Program today.
1National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Drug Abuse. NIDA community drug alert bulletin. Available at: http://www.nida.nih.gov/HepatitisAlert/HepatitisAlert.html. Accessed November 16, 2007.
