Home Health Center Hepatitis C   Treatment Options For Hepatitis-C

Treatment for Hepatitis C


Treatments for Hepatitis C are not always required. Slight changes in liver functioning may not have to be treated since there is a low risk of complications in the future. At the same time, regular monitoring through follow-up blood tests is necessary so that the condition of the liver can be closely monitored. When treatment is required, the following options are available:

  • Medications: Since the hepatitis C infection is caused by a virus, antiviral medications are usually administered. These medications may need to be taken over a period of many weeks. Once the course of treatment is over, the doctor will recommend a blood test to check if the virus is still present. If the test is positive, another round of treatment may be prescribed. Antiviral medications may trigger certain side effects such as headaches, tiredness and fever. They may even lead to depression. In case the side effects are serious, the treatment may have to stopped or delayed.
  • Liver Transplant: In case of severe damage to the liver, a liver transplant may become necessary. The damaged liver will be removed from the body and a healthy liver from a donor will be put in its place. A liver transplant is not a cure for hepatitis C infection and antiviral treatment must continue even after the transplant since the disease may recur in the healthy liver.
  • Vaccines: There are vaccines that can help to protect from other forms of hepatitis such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These viruses are different from the hepatitis C virus and may lead to complications in the treatment of hepatitis C.

Prognosis
Home Remedies
References
  1. Alajos Pár, László Telegdy, Lajos Dalmi, Eva Müller, Hungarian Viral Hepatitis Treatment Study Group, Therapy for chronic hepatitis C, Journal of Physiology-Paris, Volume 95, Issues 1–6, January–December 2001, Pages 399-405, ISSN 0928-4257, 10.1016/S0928-4257(01)00054-7.
  2. Jacqueline Rhoads, Natural History and Epidemiology of Hepatitis C, Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS care, Volume 14, Issue 5, Supplement, September–October 2003, Pages 18S-25S, ISSN 1055-3290, 10.1177/1055329003254854.
  3. Samer S. El-Kamary, Michelle D. Shardell, Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, Soheir Ismail, Mohamed El-Ateek, Mohamed Metwally, Nabiel Mikhail, Mohamed Hashem, Amr Mousa, Amr Aboul-Fotouh, Mohamed El-Kassas, Gamal Esmat, G. Thomas Strickland, A randomized controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of silymarin on symptoms, signs and biomarkers of acute hepatitis, Phytomedicine, Volume 16, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 391-400, ISSN 0944-7113, 10.1016/j.phymed.2009.02.002.