It didn't kill the virus. He decided to have a liver biopsy to determine if his liver was damaged and help him determine whether to go on a second, year-long regimen of interferon. Luckily, the biopsy revealed little damage. Friends that he used to shoot up with in Miami back when he was young have more damage. Doctors don't know why the disease progresses quickly in some people and barely at all in others.
Some people grow old and die of other causes, never aware that they have it.
For others, the liver is destroyed in a few years, and they require a transplant. Even a transplant doesn't cure the patient. Though Reisman says researchers are working feverishly to find a vaccination and cure for hepatitis C, currently there's little doctors can do once a patient is diagnosed. Staying away from alcohol seems to be a key. Diagnosing the disease early can help people with hepatitis keep their liver healthy.