Living With the Hepatitis C Virus

If you have the hepatitis C virus, you'll want to prepare yourself for hepatitis C treatment, including lifestyle changes to help bring about the best possible outcome.

By Wyatt Myers | Follow @EverydayHealth

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Though the hepatitis C virus begins as an acute infection lasting just a few weeks, for 75 to 85 percent of people infected, the hepatitis C prognosis is for a chronic condition. The virus will stay in the body and continue to attack the liver.

“Chronic hepatitis C virus is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it is often asymptomatic until the liver starts to fail,” says Camilla Graham, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass. “Chronic infection can progress to serious liver disease, including scarring of the liver (fibrosis) and advanced scarring (cirrhosis).”

Over time, between 5 and 20 percent of people with the hepatitis C virus will develop cirrhosis, and between 1 and 5 percent will ultimately die from conditions related to the hepatitis C virus.

The hepatitis C virus can lead to additional complications for the liver. “In some cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to develop liver cancer or other complications of cirrhosis,” including life-threatening bleeding of the esophagus or stomach, or build-up of fluid in the abdomen, says Dr. Graham. “In the United States, hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of liver cancer.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, for those with hepatitis C, a gradual degradation of the liver that ultimately results in cirrhosis usually takes between 20 and 30 years to develop. “Once cirrhosis develops, the annual incidence of liver cancer is about 3 to 5 percent per year,” says John M. Vierling, MD, the director of Advanced Liver Therapies for St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston.

Hepatitis C Treatment

Thanks to drug advances, about half of all people with the hepatitis C virus can be cured with targeted hepatitis C treatment. According to Graham, the most commonly used hepatitis C treatment is a two-part therapy that involves weekly injections of the drug pegylated interferon and a regimen of an antiviral drug called ribavirin, taken in pill form.

The course of this hepatitis C treatment is long, lasting 24 to 48 weeks, depending on your response to the drugs. About 50 percent of those with the hepatitis C virus can be cured with this treatment, though if you have the genotype 1 virus — which infects more than 70 percent of people with hepatitis C in the United States, the cure rate is only 40 to 46 percent and the treatment takes the full 48 weeks.

Some patients also take a direct-acting antiviral medication, either boceprevir (Victrelis) or telaprevir (Incivek). New hepatitis C drugs are on the horizon, to improve treatment.

There are side effects of this lengthy treatment, including skin rashes and other skin problems, weight loss, fatigue, cough, flu-like symptoms, general pain, and anemia. You’ll want to work closely with your doctor to gain the most benefit and have realistic expectations for the treatment.

Living With the Hepatitis C Virus

Even if hepatitis C treatment doesn’t rid your body of the disease, you can still live a healthy and productive life. Making positive lifestyle changes are particularly important for those living with hepatitis C to protect their liver as well as manage the emotional strain of the disease. Graham suggests these steps:

• Abstain from alcohol and drug use.
• Find a support group, so that you can share your thoughts, feelings, concerns, and emotions about the disease.
• Attend regular check-ups with your doctor to get the best care possible.
• Eat a healthful, balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoid too much salt, sugar, and fat.
• Do gentle exercises like walking and swimming as frequently as you are able.
• Avoid harmful fumes and toxins like paint thinner or cigarette smoke that can further damage the liver.
• Rest whenever you feel tired to avoid overtaxing your body and immune system.

Planning for the Future

You may want to make long-range financial plans for better peace of mind. This may include working closely with a trusted financial advisor to obtain the appropriate life insurance policy or investments to protect your family if your condition worsens. If you are under long-term care for your hepatitis C treatment, you may be eligible for financial assistance through the government or specific hepatitis drug manufacturers.

Last Updated: 10/23/2013

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