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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staff
Treatment isn't always necessary
A diagnosis of hepatitis C infection doesn't necessarily mean you need treatment. If you have only slight liver abnormalities, you may not need treatment because your risk of future liver problems is very low. Your doctor may recommend follow-up blood tests to monitor for liver problems.
Antiviral medications
Hepatitis C infection is treated with antiviral medications intended to clear the virus from your body. Your doctor may recommend a combination of medications taken over several weeks. Once you complete a course of treatment, your doctor will test your blood for HCV. If HCV is still present, your doctor may recommend a second round of treatment.
Antiviral medications can cause depression and flu-like signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, fever and headache. Some side effects can be serious enough that treatment must be delayed or stopped in certain cases.
Liver transplant
If your liver has been severely damaged, a liver transplant may be an option. During a liver transplant, the surgeon removes your damaged liver and replaces it with a healthy liver. Most transplanted livers come from deceased donors, though a small number come from living donors.
For people with hepatitis C infection, a liver transplant is not a cure. Treatment with antiviral medications usually continues after a liver transplant, since hepatitis C infection is likely to recur.
Vaccinations to protect against other forms of viral hepatitis
Your doctor will likely recommend that you receive vaccines against the hepatitis A and B viruses. These are separate viruses that also can cause liver damage and complicate treatment of hepatitis C.
- Ghany MG, et al. AASLD practice guidelines: Diagnosis, management and treatment of hepatitis C: An update. Hepatology. 2009;49:1335.
- FAQs for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Hepatitis C. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/hepatitisc. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- What I need to know about hepatitis C. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepc_ez/index.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Viral hepatitis screening. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://www.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/ViralHepatitisScreening.aspx. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- CAM and hepatitis C: A focus on herbal supplements. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/hepatitisc. Accessed July 24, 2009.
