I need to be able to make an informed decision. Thank you for your assistance. Some patients with hepatitis C have an associated condition called cryoglobulinemia. Cryoglobulins are a special type of antibody that clump in cold blood. Some patients with hepatitis C and cryoglobulinemia, develop a condition called vasculitis which means there is inflammation in certain blood vessels.
Vasculitis can manifest in a variety of different ways including skin rashes and ulcers.
However, most of these patients have to take the interferon indefinitely or the vasculitis will come back. It is especially difficult to permanently eradicate the hepatitis C virus in these individuals. Let me answer some of your specific questions. Interferon should not make the hepatitis C worse. It should help if anything.