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Main > Specialty Areas > Infectious Diseases >
Hepatitis C Treatment
There are no specific treatments for the symptoms of Hepatitis C. Generally doctors suggest adequate bed-rest, procedures that help in preventing dehydration, eating healthy food and not consuming alcohol. Most people with early to later stages of Hepatitis C feel better in three to four weeks and get well completely from their Hepatitis C symptoms within six to eight weeks.
| Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by the immune system in response to foreign agents such as tumors, viruses, bacteria, etc. Since 1980, synthetic interferon became available for treatment for many types of cancer and hepatitis C. However, there may be harmful side-effects associated with interferon treatment such as sudden hearing loss, anemia, headache, depression and heart, eye, liver or kidney problems. |
Often synthetic protein interferon is used to treat some patient with chronic hepatitis C. This is helpful to improve liver function in some people with hepatitis C and minimizing symptoms, although it may cause side effects like headache and fever etc. Sometimes this drug is used in combination with another drug, Ribavirin. This treatment is effective in 30 percent to 40 percent of Hepatitis C patients.
| Ribavirin (also sold under the brand names of Copegus or Rebetol) is an anti-viral drug which, in its tablet form, is used in treatment of Hepatitis C in combination with interferon therapy. A possible serious side-effect of using Ribavirin is anemia. Women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant should not take Ribavirin and should postpone pregnancy for 6 months after ending treatment. |
Many chronic Hepatitis C carriers remain symptom-free or have a mild condition known as chronic persistent hepatitis. But approximately 50 percent of chronic hepatitis C patients develop the most serious complications of viral hepatitis: cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.
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| Random Useful Tip: |
Diabetes Containment To contain diabetes, it pays to do the following:
Pay attention to your diet - avoid sugar as well as saturated fats in any form.
Regular exercise is an important treatment for both types of diabetes.
Weight loss can also help to reverse insulin resistance and lower blood glucose if a person is overweight.
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| Random Drug Info: |
Levothyroxine Levothyroxine is a pure synthetic form of T4 hormone that is made in a laboratory to be an exact replacement for the T4 that the human thyroid gland normally secretes. It comes in multiple strengths, which means that an appropriate dosage can almost always be found for each patient. |
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