Treatment when?

If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, you will need to discuss with your doctor whether treatment is appropriate for you and, if so, when. Even if you are eligible for treatment, there are a number of factors you may wish to consider before deciding to begin therapy. Items that the doctor might highlight for your consideration are the chances of treatment success, whether you have any symptoms, the potential consequences of not being treated within a certain time frame, any other infections you have or other medications you may be taking, as well as the risk of side effects. In some circumstances, particularly when there is evidence of advanced liver disease, it is possible that your doctor may recommend you start treatment soon.

Another factor that could influence the treatment decision is your HCV genotype. Those infected with genotype 1 have a significantly lower chance of achieving treatment success with pegylated interferon and ribavirin than those infected with HCV genotypes 2 and 3. In addition, patients with genotype 1 virus must also undergo treatment and any associated side effects for longer (typically 48 weeks versus 24 weeks) than patients infected with HCV genotypes 2 and 3. So, if you have been infected with HCV genotype 1 and you have no symptoms or evidence of liver disease, might delay the treatment decision until your personal circumstances are more suitable.

If you have previously been treated for hepatitis C and did not respond, or if the virus came back, you will need to discuss with your doctor whether you should try treatment again.