Currently, there is an FDA licensed treatment for hepatitis C that has had limited success and other treatment approaches are still in research. Thus, consideration for treatment is a complex issue. Patient with chronic hepatitis C should be evaluated for severity of their liver disease. Treatment is currently recommended only for those chronic hepatitis C patients who are at greatest risk for developing cirrhosis. Indication for treatment of hepatitis C is less obvious in other patients.
Relapses are common when the drug therapy is stopped.
Other factors that complicate the treatment of hepatitis C include the long duration of the therapy required and the serious side effects of the drugs. Chronic hepatitis C patients should be under the care and management of a physician. With new therapies under study, clinical management of persons with chronic hepatitis C is a rapidly changing area. The large reservoir of individuals infected with HCV provides a source of transmission to others. People who have hepatitis C should be aware that their blood, and possibly other body fluids, are potentially infective.