The tricky part for health-care providers is convincing those at risk that they should be tested and treated. If left untreated, the disease can cause liver failure. Initially, however, it can produce no symptoms, or just some fatigue. The current treatment is grueling and not always successful. It involves three injections a week of the drug interferon.
Some patients also receive an oral medication called ribavirin.
This can cause extreme fatigue, pain, loss of appetite, irritability, depression and severe flu-like symptoms, the article says. Hepatitis C is often transmitted by sharing needles. Some people get it through blood transfusions. For more information, you can read this fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Get Your Medifocus Medguide Research Your Illness Visit our Medcenter and get your Medifocus Guide , trustworthy medical information specifically about your health condition.