Treatment of Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a relatively serious liver disease. As we all know, the liver is an important detoxification organ in our body. Many toxins in the body must be excreted through the liver. As a result, there are many types of liver diseases, which are very harmful to the human body. The most common one is hepatitis C, which can easily cause cirrhosis. Let’s take a look at the treatment methods of hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C, abbreviated as hepatitis C or HCV, is a viral hepatitis caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is mainly transmitted through blood transfusion, acupuncture, drug abuse, etc. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the global HCV infection rate is about 3%. It is estimated that about 180 million people are infected with HCV, and there are about 35,000 new cases of hepatitis C each year. Hepatitis C is a global epidemic that can lead to chronic inflammation, necrosis and fibrosis of the liver. Some patients may develop cirrhosis or even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The mortality rate associated with HCV infection (death due to liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma) will continue to increase in the next 20 years, posing a great threat to the health and life of patients and has become a serious social and public health problem.

Treatment of patients with hepatitis C virus infection

(1) Acute hepatitis C: There is clear evidence that interferon treatment can reduce the chronicity rate of acute hepatitis C. It can be started 8-12 weeks after the onset of acute hepatitis caused by HCV infection, and the course of treatment is 12-24 weeks. The optimal treatment regimen has not yet been definitively determined, but early treatment is more effective for patients with genotype 1 and high viral load (>800,000 logIU/ml).

(2) For patients with chronic hepatitis C, the severity of liver disease should be assessed before treatment. Patients with recurrent abnormal liver function or obvious inflammatory necrosis (G≥2) or moderate or severe fibrosis (S≥2) in liver biopsy are more likely to progress to cirrhosis and should be given antiviral treatment.

(3) Hepatitis C cirrhosis ① For patients with compensated cirrhosis (Child-Pugh A grade), although their tolerance and efficacy to treatment are reduced, it is recommended that they be given antiviral treatment under close observation in order to stabilize their condition and delay or prevent the occurrence of complications such as liver failure and HCC. ② Patients with decompensated cirrhosis: Most of them find it difficult to tolerate the adverse reactions of IFNα treatment, and those who are able should undergo liver transplantation.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease. The main transmission routes are sexual transmission, mother-to-child transmission and blood transmission. As long as the source of infection is eliminated at the source, you will stay away from the hepatitis C virus. At the same time, pay attention to personal hygiene and actively get vaccinated against hepatitis C. If you find that you have hepatitis C, you should receive treatment in time. If it develops into cirrhosis, the difficulty of treatment will increase.