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Hepatitis C & Cirrhosis Cure

Cirrhosis of the liver is common among patients who have hepatitis-C. This infectious disease is transmitted by blood exposure. Millions of people are infected yearly, with a large percentage of them developing long-term liver problems. Almost 10,000 people die each year as a result. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) projects that hepatitis-C related deaths could outweigh those of HIV and AIDS by the year 2010, despite existing so-called cures.

  1. Cure Chances

    • For some, there is no cure for hepatitis C with cirrhosis of the liver. Much depends upon the "genotype" of the disease. Genotype 1 is the most common form of hepatitis C and represents nearly three-quarters of infected individuals. Of those with genotype 1 only about 45 percent can expect to be cured.

      Roughly 10 percent of infected patients possess genotype 2. Cure for this type of hepatitis C however, is greatly improved. Somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of infected patients can be cured.

      Only about 5 percent of patients are infected with genotype 3. Again, the prognosis for those patients is greatly improved. As many as 85 percent of infected patients can be cured.

      For any genotype of the disease to be considered "cured" there must be no re-infection for an extended period of time, up to 10 years.

    Interferon as a Cure

    • Interferon is a common treatment for hepatitis C. When used over a long period of time -- between 24 and 48 weeks -- it appears to "cure" the disease in some cases. Unfortunately, the side effects that occur in the vast majority of patients can cause other problems. Side effects include fatigue, flu-like symptoms and low blood cell counts. Some are minor in nature while others can become life consuming. Additionally, the percentage of successful "cured" cases only ranges between 20 and 25 percent.

    Intron A as a Cure

    • Another common treatment for hepatitis C is Intron A. Used alone, it can act as a cure if the infection is caught early and has not yet resulted in severe liver damage. Patients must self-inject Intron A two or three times a week for a long period of time--possibly indefinitely--in order to prevent re-infection. Unfortunately, this so-called "cure" works less than 20 percent of the time.

    Pegylated Interferon as a Cure

    • Pegylated Interferon, used in combination with Ribavirin, can cure hepatitis C in many cases according to a Virginia Commonwealth University study. Up to 99 percent of patients involved in the original study experienced what was considered a "cure" because there were no further sign of hepatitis C within the study's seven-year follow-up period.

    Herbal Cures

    • A lot of herbal products advertise themselves as a "cure" for hepatitis C, however, none to date have stood up under research scrutiny.

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