Care and support

If you are a friend or carer of someone with hepatitis C, the following information should help you support them.

Understanding the challenges of hepatitis C

If someone you know tells you that they have hepatitis C or thinks they might have hepatitis C, you should know that the disease may quickly become a very large part of their life.  Living with a chronic disease can be a lonely and frightening experience that is difficult to come to terms with. People with hepatitis C often need help to cope with its impact on their life and to overcome the emotional challenges that they face.  

Some people with hepatitis C get symptoms associated with their infection, which impacts physically on their day-to-day lives.  Although hepatitis C is a curable disease, a cure is not guaranteed, and many patients who choose to undergo treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin are on treatment for a long time and get rather troublesome side effects.   These often mean that normal daily routines have to change, and some people need help to manage the side effects and encourage them to complete their treatment.

Living with hepatitis C

If you live with someone who has hepatitis C, you will need to take simple precautions to protect yourself from infection.  Hepatitis C is not spread through coughing, sneezing, casual contact, food or drink, but you should not share personal items that can be contaminated with blood, such as razors, toothbrushes and nail scissors.  You cannot catch hepatitis C through hugging and kissing, and you can maintain a healthy sex life with a long-term partner without risk of infection as long as you avoid contact with their blood.  

Infection with hepatitis C is rare within families, but if you have been living with someone who has had hepatitis C for a long time, or if you have had children who were born whilst you or your partner had hepatitis C, it may be a good idea to get them and yourself tested.

Coping with hepatitis C

If you have found out that someone close to you has hepatitis C, you may also experience a range of emotions, including grief, fear and pity.  These feelings are understandable due to the amount of new information you have to take in and the fear of the unknown. You can cope with these feelings by learning more about the disease and by talking to others who know people with hepatitis C or have hepatitis C themselves. Patient support groups often have relevant experience in discussing these feelings.  

The emotional experience of hepatitis C has many phases and people can feel very negative, particularly when receiving the currently available treatment. During these times, both the person infected and the people around them may need emotional support.  It is essential to know where support is available and how to get it when you need it.