Hepatitis C is one of six different forms of the virus, and, according to the Mayo Clinic, hepatitis C is one of the more serious. If you didn't know you were exposed to hepatitis C and you never went to the doctor for check ups, you'd never know you had it until you had liver damage. That's because the hepatitis C virus uses stealth to attack the liver with virtually no symptoms until the damage has already been done. Blood contamination is the most common cause of the virus and, if left untreated, it can cause liver cancer, liver failure and cirrhosis, which comes from massive scarring of the liver.
Drug Therapy
Drug therapy is kind of a "should I or shouldn't I?" proposition. Because the medications (pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin) tend to have fairly severe side effects--depression, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, low white blood cell count, fever and flu-like symptoms--your physician may want to assess how much damage, if any, has actually been done to your liver. If the damage is minor and it appears that the virus is not getting worse, they may recommend not treating the virus at all. If you have prominent signs of liver damage, getting a weekly pegylated interferon alfa injection and taking ribavirin twice a day may be helpful in clearing the virus from your blood.
Liver Transplant
In serious cases, where the liver damage is too extensive, transplantation surgery may be the only viable option. Because there is often a long line of patients needing new livers and a short line of donors, science has turned to other methods for finding donor organs. Splitting the organ is one such method. A donor liver can be split in half, turning one liver in to two. The practice of using livers from those who have hepatitis is another alternative. Getting a new liver does nothing to cure the hepatitis C virus, however, and you must still undergo treatment or risk more serious damage.
Support Groups
One often overlooked form of treatment is a support group. A like-minded group of people who are suffering from or who have suffered from hepatitis and other liver problems can be helpful in gaining a better understanding of your condition and provide support to help with the stresses and issues that arise.
