Hepatitis
C is curable. The treatment of hepatitis C has made great progress since the
virus was identified in 1988. In the past the chances of being cured were
lower, and the side-effects of older forms of treatment made it hard to
tolerate for many people.
Nowadays,
the vast majority of people who qualify for treatment will be cured after a
short course of treatment with few side-effects. Newer treatments are costly,
so most health authorities in Europe are giving priority to people with
advanced liver disease or symptoms of hepatitis C that are causing serious
problems.
In
countries with fewer resources for health, older forms of treatment continue to
be available.
Glossary
- cirrhosis
Scarring of the liver – the structure of the liver is altered. See also
‘fibrosis’, which is moderate scarring. See also ‘compensated cirrhosis’ and
‘decompensated cirrhosis’.
- genotype
A strain or subtype of a virus. For hepatitis C, genotypes are identified by a number (e.g. genotypes 1,2,3,4,5 and 6); some subtypes have also been identified (e.g. genotypes 1a and 1b). For hepatitis B, genotypes are identified by a letter (A to H). The genotype may influence the risk of disease progression for both viruses; some genotypes respond differently to some treatments.
The type
of treatment you receive depends on your hepatitis C viral genotype. It also
depends on how much your liver has been damaged by hepatitis C. If you have
cirrhosis (advanced liver damage) you may need to take a longer course of
treatment. You may also need to take the drug ribavirin as part of your
treatment if you have cirrhosis, in order to give the best chance of a cure.