|
The Goal of Treatment
In this section, you can learn about the following
topics:
The goal of chronic hepatitis C treatment is to reduce the
amount
of virus in the blood and to slow the progression of the disease to
prevent
cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and other complications.
All the currently available therapies for the treatment of
chronic hepatitis C are based on the activity of a group of biological
agents
called alpha interferons.
What are
Alpha
Interferons? Alpha interferons are proteins produced by
the
human immune system in response to an attack by a virus. Interferons do
not
attack virus particles directly. Instead, they cause the release of
specific
chemicals by other healthy cells to protect those cells from attack.
Alpha
interferons can also be modified through a process called pegylation to
make
them stay in the body for a longer time.
Alpha
Interferon
Treatment is the Most Current Treatment Available. In 2002,
the
National Institutes of Health held a conference in which they discussed
and
updated the current state of knowledge about hepatitis C. At present,
the
approach recommended in the National Institutes of Health consensus
conference
statement for patients newly diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C is to
use
pegylated alpha interferons in combination with the antiviral drug
ribavirin.
Combination
Therapy May be for You. 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.
If you need information on treatment options, talk to your
doctor. Your doctor can tell you more about available treatment options
and
whether treatment is appropriate for you. 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.
You can turn to The Be In Charge® Program for a vast
amount of additional information and support as you manage your hepatitis
C
treatment. Sign up now for this
tremendous support tool.
You may also be interested in our video "Getting Treated for
Hepatitis
C".
|
Privacy Policy