Hepatitis C Treatment in Hagerstown, MD
It’s important that you’re regularly getting screened for hepatitis C, even if you don’t have any symptoms or signs of liver disease. It’s especially important if you’re at a higher risk of exposure to hepatitis C. If your doctor finds that you do have hepatitis C, it’s important that you’re able to start treatment as soon as possible so that you can reduce the damage done by this disease.
Treating Hepatitis C
Once you’ve been diagnosed with hepatitis C, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. Your gastroenterologist will sit down with you and discuss your treatment options so that they can create a plan that works best for you and your lifestyle.
Hepatitis C is first treated with antiviral medications. These medications are made to clear the virus out of your body within 12 weeks of finishing treatment. The specific type of medication will depend on the type of hepatitis C you have as well as any other medical conditions that you have or any liver damage that may have occurred. Your doctor might recommend more than one antiviral medication to combine, depending on your own body and how you often react to medications. When combining multiple types of antiviral medications, it could shorten your treatment to eight weeks.
If your hepatitis C has progressed enough, the best form of treatment may be a liver transplant. This removes your infected liver and replaces it with a healthy liver that allows you to start fresh. Your doctor will probably also recommend that you be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B to make sure that you’re causing less damage to your liver if you are dealing with hepatitis C.
Contact Your Gastroenterologist Today
