Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] Yes Dr. Grief, My name is Ruth and i have Hep-c. The virus has been in my system since 1995 i know for sure.  What i dont know is when i became infected. I havent experienced any dramatic system yet, so can u tell me what symptoms i should be looking for and also what type of therapy is available for Hep-C? I thought it wasnt curable. I am a female 58 years young.
[|AI|]  Hepatitis C is curable. There are actually new medications that came to the market at the end of 2013. Treatment will depend on the specific type of hepatitis C (there is type 1,2,3,4,5,6!) and treatment duration and medications chosen may vary based on this. The classic treatment includes an injection given once a week (regulated interferon) plus pills taken daily. Duration of treatment vary between 12 weeks to 48 weeks! The new medications are approved to be given together with the interferon injection, however in certain cases it can be given without it (the injection is the one with the most side effects). Hepatitis C won't give you symptoms until your liver is significantly damage, or cirrhotic, reasons why it is important to treat it before it is too late. Talk to a gastroenterologist / hepatologist for the necessary blood tests and then treatment options