How Hepatitis C is Treated

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, which 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.

Recently, the National Institutes of Health held a conference in which they discussed and updated the current state of knowledge about hepatitis C. The approach recommended in the NIH 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 applies pegylation, which represents the most recent advance in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. However, it uses alpha interferons and ribavirin, which is associated with some 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. He or she can tell you more about available treatment options. 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.

If you have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, consider joining The Be In Charge® Program today. Be In Charge is the most experienced patient support program in the world, and is prepared to provide you a vast array of assistance in your HCV treatment program.

Also, if you have been diagnosed with HCV, knowing when to start is an important part of your education. Go now to The Benefits of Starting Early.