Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a viral disease that leads to swelling or inflammation of the liver. If you've been diagnosed with hepatitis C, you may be worrying about your health. Let's answer some questions you may have about hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is irritation and swelling of the liver from infection with the hepatitis C virus. You can get hepatitis C if you have been on long-term kidney dialysis, or have regular contact with blood at work such as a health care worker, have unprotected sex with someone infected with hepatitis C, use injected street drugs or share a needle with someone who has hepatitis C, received a tattoo or acupuncture from contaminated instruments, although the risk is low with licensed, commercial tattoo shops, received blood or organs from a donor who has hepatitis C, share a toothbrush or razors with someone who has the disease, or were born to a mother infected with hepatitis C. Most people newly infected with hepatitis C virus will not have symptoms. About 10 percent will have jaundice or yellow skin that gets better. The bad news is that most people infected with hepatitis C will have it for a long time, usually with no symptoms. Typically, long-term hepatitis C infection can lead to liver scarring, a condition called cirrhosis, or even liver cancer. If your doctor suspects hepatitis C, you will need blood tests to confirm the diagnosis. If you've had the disease for a long time, you doctor can use a procedure called a liver biopsy to see how much damage has been done to your liver. You will need to take medicine to try to remove the virus from your blood and reduce your risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The most common medications are a combination of pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin, an antiviral medication. Pegylated interferon alfa is an injection you will probably receive weekly. You can take ribavirin as a capsule twice a day. Treatment may last up to 48 weeks. Most people with hepatitis C have the chronic form. But some people may get better with treatment, although they may need continued testing. Even if treatment doesn't remove the virus from your blood, it can reduce your chance of severe liver disease.
Hepatitis C
Review Date: 1/12/2020
Reviewed By: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Editorial update 04/28/2020.
Videos
Browse All
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Abdominal pain
- ACL injury
- Acne
- Adenoid removal
- Adolescent depression
- After your child's ear tube su...
- After your child's inguinal he...
- After your child's tonsil or a...
- After your child's umbilical h...
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Allergic rhinitis
- Allergies
- Allergy testing
- Allergy to mold - animal dande...
- Alzheimer disease
- Anemia
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anterior shoulder stretch
- Anti-reflux surgery
- Appendectomy
- Appendicitis
- Arm reach
- Arthritis
- Asperger syndrome
- Asthma
- Asthma - children
- Atopic dermatitis
- Atrial fibrillation
- Attention deficit hyperactivit...
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Before a child's tonsil or ade...
- Bipolar disorder
- Breast cancer
- Breast engorgement
- Breast self-exam
- Breastfeeding
- Bronchitis
- Bronchoscopy
- Cardiac catheterization
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cataracts
- Cerebral palsy
- Cervical cancer
- Chest pain
- Childhood obesity
- Cholesterol and triglyceride t...
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary ...
- Cluster headache
- Cold treatments for kids
- Colon cancer
- Colon cancer screening
- Colorectal polyps
- Common cold
- Concussion
- Crohn disease
- C-section
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cystic fibrosis - nutritional ...
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Dialysis
- Diarrhea
- Ear infection - acute
- Ear infection - chronic
- Ear tube insertion
- Earache
- Electrocardiogram
- Endometriosis
- Enlarged adenoids
- Enlarged prostate
- Epilepsy
- Erection problems
- Essential hypertension
- External rotation with band
- Fibromyalgia
- Flu
- Food poisoning
- Foot pain
- Gallstones
- Gastroesophageal reflux diseas...
- Gastroesophageal reflux in inf...
- Getting rid of lice in the hom...
- Glaucoma
- Hardening of arteries
- HbA1c
- Head injury
- Head lice
- Healthy Guide to Fast Food
- Hearing loss
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Heel pain
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Hernia
- Herniated disk
- Hip joint replacement
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- How do ear tubes come out?
- How to remove a splinter
- How to stop bedwetting
- How to treat a nosebleed
- How to treat a sunburn
- How to use a peak flow meter
- How to use a pill cutter
- How to use eye drops
- How to use nasal sprays
- Hypertension
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Hysterectomy
- Infant formulas
- Inguinal hernia repair
- Inhaler with no spacer - adult...
- Inhaler with no spacer - child...
- Inhaler with spacer - adults
- Inhaler with spacer - child
- Insomnia
- Internal rotation with band
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Isometric
- Kidney stones
- Knee joint replacement
- Let's talk about pink eye
- Lung cancer
- Lyme disease
- Melanoma
- Menopause
- Migraine
- Multiple sclerosis
- Nasal congestion
- Neck pain
- Newborn jaundice
- NICU consultants and support s...
- Nuclear stress test
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Pap smear
- Pendulum exercise
- Peptic ulcer
- Pharyngitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Pneumonia
- Pregnancy care
- Prepare for your child's ear t...
- Prepare for your child's herni...
- Prostate cancer
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rotator cuff problems
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Seizures
- Shingles
- Shoulder blade retraction
- Shoulder blade retraction with...
- Shoulder pain
- Sinusitis
- Sleep disorders
- Smoking tips to quit
- Spinal stenosis
- Stent
- Storing breast milk
- Strep throat
- Stretching back of your should...
- Stroke
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Tension headache
- The difference between a cold ...
- Tips on buying cold and flu me...
- Tips on removing ear wax
- Tonsillectomy
- Tonsillitis
- Tracking your blood pressure a...
- Treating congestion in babies...
- Treating eyelid bumps
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis
- Understanding cholesterol resu...
- Up the back stretch
- Urinary incontinence
- Uterine fibroids
- Vacation health care
- Varicose veins
- Venous insufficiency
- Wall push-up
- Wall stretch
- Warts
- What are hives?
- What are night terrors?
- What causes wheezing?
- What in the world is a neti po...
- What is tennis elbow?
- What makes your heart beat?
- What to do when kids put thing...
- What to do when kids put thing...
- What to do when something gets...
Animations
Browse All
- Allergies
- Alzheimer disease
- Ankle ligament injury
- Arrhythmias
- Atherosclerosis
- Athetosis resulting from basal...
- Balloon angioplasty - short se...
- Bladder function - neurologica...
- Blinking
- Blood clotting
- Blood flow
- Blood pressure
- Bone fracture repair
- Brain components
- Breast lift
- Breathing
- Bunion
- Cancer of the throat or larynx...
- Cardiac conduction system
- Cardiomyopathy
- Cardiovascular system
- Cataract
- Cell division
- Cerebral aneurysm
- Cesarean section
- Components of skin
- Conception - general
- Conception - pregnancy
- Conception of identical twins...
- Concussion
- Corneal injury
- Coronary artery bypass graft (...
- Coronary artery disease
- Cosmetic surgery of the face
- Coughing
- Diabetes - retinal conditions...
- Digestion
- Directional coronary atherecto...
- Early labor
- Egg cell production
- Egg production
- Endocrine glands
- Enlarged prostate gland
- Epinephrine and exercise
- Exercise
- Feeling pain
- Fetal ear development
- Formation of twins
- Gas exchange
- Glaucoma
- Gout
- Hearing
- Hearing and the cochlea
- Heart bypass surgery
- Heart formation
- Heartbeat
- Heartburn
- Herniated nucleus pulposus (sl...
- Homeostasis
- Human face formation
- Hypertension - overview
- Immune response
- Kidney stones
- Kids - How big is the baby?
- Kids - How does the baby come ...
- Kids - Is it a girl or boy?
- Kids - Umbilical cord
- Kids - Where do babies come fr...
- Liposuction
- Lymph nodes
- Lymphatics and the breast
- Macular degeneration
- Muscle types
- Nerve conduction
- Nervous system formation
- Nutrient exchange
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Ovulation
- Parkinson disease
- Percutaneous transluminal coro...
- Peristalsis
- Phagocytosis
- Pituitary gland
- Placenta delivery
- Placenta formation
- Preeclampsia
- Pregnancy
- Red blood cell production
- Reflex response
- Retina
- Retinal detachment
- Rupturing membranes
- Seeing
- Sexual differentiation
- Shoulder joint dislocation
- Skeletal formation
- Skeletal muscle
- Skeletal system components
- Skin conditions
- Smelling
- Smoking
- Snoring
- Sperm production
- Sperm release pathway
- Stomach ulcer
- Stomach ulcer
- Stroke
- Stroke - secondary to cardioge...
- Sun's effect on skin
- Swallowing
- Sweating
- Tachycardia
- Tasting
- The role of amniotic fluid
- Tobacco use - effects on arter...
- Twin-to-twin transfusion syndr...
- Ultrasound
- Urination
- Vaccines
- Vaginal delivery