What percentage of peaple taking interferon for hepatitus C in the US are cured or improve?
114741
Approximately 30-40%\n\nhttp://www.emedicine.com/med/topic993.htm\n\nHere's a good link.
835134
The article in the Journal Medicine Today encouraged a gradual reduction in weight which has been shown to improve liver function and reverse liver damage. However the authors warn against very rapid weight loss from fad diets or radical surgery which may have a negative impact upon the progression of liver injury. Also, dont go Veg, when your body is healing it is crucial to get complete protiens (most of which come from animal sources). Just remember to keep animal products at a minimum and cholesterol low (that wont help the liver). As far as the kidneys....you can get cranberry extract at any drug store (pill or tincter form) pop one of those a day with plenty of water.
841642
http://www.natap.org/2005/HCV/122105_01.htm  try this link it may help you
547137
I don't really know much about Hepatitis A and B but I do know that they treat Hepatitis C with interferon.  It usually consists of 1 shot a weeks and Ribavirin pills daily.  Some people do treatment for 24 weeks and some do 48 weeks, depending on your genotype (the strain of the virus). Treatment can be very tough for alot of people.  You have to eat right, drink 1/2 your weight of water and get plenty of rest.  Alot of people have to get on antidepressant before treatment as it can cause depression in alot of people. Some people work or go to school while doing treatment and some are not able to.  You are monitored while you are on treatment with regular blood tests to make sure you are doing okay while on treatment.  I don't really know if there is a cure.  This is very controversial as some doctors say there is a cure and some say it just goes into remission.
73205
Hepatitis C is more serious than Hepatits B.  Hope that the doctors are able to help.
1157207
yes, you were infected at some point with the hep C virus. It is possible for hep C to resolve on it's own occasionally. This is very rare compared to hep B which often resolves without becoming chronic.  I know one guy whose hep c resolved without treatment and has antibodies but no infection. In this case you would be viral negative but test positive for the antibodies. If I was in your shoes I would get retested every 6 months for the next couple of years unless a very smart hepatologist or gastroenterologist could explain to me why the testing wasn't necessary.  \n\nhttp://www.webmd.com/hw/hepatitus_c/tw9921.asp
343162
http://www.garynull.com/Documents/DrWald/HepatitisCPart2.htm\nhttp://www.hcvets.com/data/hcv_liver/neuropathy.htm\n\nCheck these sites out..They had way too much info to post here. Hope this helps.
55589
If you haven't had a tetnus shot in a while may wanna do that now. Get checked for hepatitis too. Never know where that needle was. Call your MD.
901314
there is no ratio for either transplant list, the wait time on kidney listing is probably smaller. for the liver an unstable patient gets the preference at some times otherwise no matter what race, if they are on the list, they get the liver on their turn, you could get the numbers on the waiting list from transplant centers, just write to them, good luck
175385
You'll need to get on a strict diet.  No salt or alot of proteins.  Hepatitis C is not curable.  You will sooner or later have to have a transplant if it gets worse and that's not necessarily exactly the end of the H-C.  Stay away from alcohol for sure.  No drugs.  Since it's not to scarred, that's good but you'll want to make sure it doesn't get that way so that's why I suggest the diet part.  I have cryptogenic liver disease and I have alot of swelling daily. If you're not swelling, just stay away from the harmful things that your liver would have to filter out.  I think it's all about the intake of fluids and foods and certain medications.  If you can do all of that, it will slow the scarring process down.
183083
The answer is pretty complicated, but generally, a combination of peginterferon alfa and ribavirin is used and the dosage and treatment length are dependent on which of the six possible types of HCV you have and how much virus there is in your blood.\n\nAvoiding anything that can additionally injure the liver, specifically alcohol is a very important component of HCV treatment, whether a patient qualifies for antiviral treatment or not.\n\nIf you are interested in the techical detail you can access the clinical guideline here:\n\nhttps://www.aasld.org/eweb/docs/hepatitisc.pdf
558072
Best bet is to call the hospital and ask...Im betting they do have a cancer center that does treat hepatic cancers....they're also a teaching hospital so those usually have alot of specialties that your local hospitals dont
49604
Of course you can.  Nothing in Hep C prevents children.
1012121
How is hepatitis C virus spread and how can transmission be prevented?\n\nHepatitis C is spread (transmitted) most efficiently through the blood. Therefore, hepatitis C virus is transmitted by infected blood or blood products, transplantation of infected solid organs (e.g., liver, kidney, heart), and the sharing of contaminated needles among intravenous drug users. In retrospect, hepatitis C virus was the most common cause of hepatitis that resulted from blood transfusions in the 1980's. At that time, hepatitis C virus had not yet been identified and post-transfusion cases of hepatitis were called non-A non-B hepatitis.\n\nIn the early 1980's, the risk of contracting hepatitis C virus from a blood transfusion was as high as 15%. In the mid 1980's, when the practice of using commercial (paid) donors was stopped and blood was screened for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the risk of post-transfusion hepatitis fell to about 5%. This risk was then cut in half when blood was screened with the substitute (surrogate) markers, elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT, the liver enzyme), and hepatitis B core antibodies. Finally, the isolation of the hepatitis C virus and the development of a screening test for hepatitis C virus dramatically lowered the risk of acquiring hepatitis C virus infection through blood transfusions.\n\nAll blood donors are currently screened with the following panel; hepatitis C antibodies, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B core antibodies, elevated alanine aminotransferase, HIV antibodies, and syphilis. As a result, the risk of contracting hepatitis C virus from a single unit of blood is less than 1:100,000. This risk will be even lower one day when tests that measure minute quantities of hepatitis C viral nucleic acids are universally adopted for blood screening.\n\nToday, hepatitis C virus is most commonly transmitted by intravenous drug abuse, which accounts for about 60% of new cases. Moreover, 50 to 60% of new intravenous drug users are infected within the first 6 months of use, and nearly 90% are infected by one year. Other types of illegal drug usage, such as snorting cocaine, have also been associated with an increased risk of acquiring an hepatitis C virus infection.\n\nHepatitis C virus can be sexually transmitted, but not very efficiently. Hepatitis C virus has been isolated in the semen, vaginal fluid, and saliva. Nevertheless, the risk of transmission of hepatitis C virus from an infected individual to a non-infected spouse or partner without the use of condoms over a lifetime is only about 1 to 4%. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has not recommended using a barrier technique (for example, condoms) for hepatitis C virus infected individuals in a long-term monogamous relationship. On the other hand, individuals with multiple sexual partners should definitely use condoms. Furthermore, the practice of safe sex is key in preventing the transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis B.\n\nFood, water, breast-feeding, sneezing, coughing, hugging, casual contact, or sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses have not been shown to spread hepatitis C. What's more, hepatitis C is not transmissible by kissing, unless an open wound is involved. However, to further recognize that hepatitis C is transmitted through blood, the sharing of razors and toothbrushes should be avoided.\n\nInterestingly, the CDC has not found a definite association between tattoos and the transmission of hepatitis C virus. It is critical, nevertheless, that appropriate precautions be taken in applying tattoos, including the artist wearing gloves and using disposable equipment. In contrast to hepatitis B, the transmission of hepatitis C from the mother to the newborn around the time of delivery is unusual.\n\nHepatitis C virus infection can also be acquired through occupational exposures. Thus, health care workers in contact with contaminated bloods, flu
901338
I have begged voters to pass it.  I have been taking 4 shots a day since I was a little kid for my illness.  My family has had such a tough time with medical care and constant worry.  The illness I have is genetic so my siblings don't have children.  I hope it passes and I hope that those of you with chronic and genetic illnesses will get better too!  Best of luck to you!!
43895
About 4 out of every 100 infants born to HCV infected women become infected. This occurs at the time of birth, and there is no treatment that can prevent this from happening. Most infants infected with HCV at the time of birth have no symptoms and do well during childhood. More studies are needed to find out if these children will have problems from the infection as they grow older. \n\nfound from:\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm#1a
671287
Hep C is now curable. The exact terminology used is achieving a durable remission which means that even 6 months to 2 years after finishing treatment there is no detectable hep C virus in your blood. The treatment doesn't cure everyone(40-70% depending on which genotype), but even if you don't go viral negative, you will help heal your liver and reduce your chances of developing liver cancer. BTW- The treatment also has lots of unpleasant side effects so make sure and ask your Dr about what to expect.\n\nhttp://www.pegasys.roche.com.pk/main.html\n\nhttp://www.pegintron.com/peg/application\n\nhttp://janis7hepc.com/pegintron_or_pegasays.htm