Hepatitis C can be cured with the drugs prescribed by the doctor, but depending on the type of treatment performed the cure can vary between 50 and 100%.
The treatment scheme carried out with Interferon is less effective and not all people are cured and that is why it is possible to remain with the virus in the liver even after the end of treatment, in which case the person will be classified as having chronic hepatitis C. However, a new treatment scheme was approved by Anvisa in 2016 and has a greater chance of cure, which varies between 80 and 100% and thus the virus can be eliminated completely from the liver.
Remedies to cure Hepatitis C
Usually, the treatment of hepatitis C is done with the use of medications such as Interferon and Ribavirin, for 6 months to 1 year, with interferon being an injection that must be administered once a week, and ribavirin includes taking pills daily.
A new treatment has shown that it considerably increases the chances of curing hepatitis C and consists of the combination of the drugs Sofosbuvir, Simeprevir and Daklinza that should be used for at least 12 or 24 weeks, having fewer side effects than the previous ones. This combination of drugs should be taken only twice a day but is contraindicated in case of pregnancy.
However, this new combination has a high financial cost and is not yet offered by SUS. The combination of sofosbuvir + simeprevir for 12 weeks costs approximately 25 thousand reais and the combination of sofosbuvir + daclatasvir for 12 weeks, approximately 24 thousand reais. In addition to this combination, the doctor can also opt for a therapeutic regimen that includes Interferon, Ribavirin and daclatasvir for 24 weeks, at an approximate cost of 16 thousand reais.
The cure with this treatment varies between 80 and 100% depending on whether there is cirrhosis and whether the person has undergone any treatment before. There is a greater chance of cure when the person has not yet developed cirrhosis, has recently been infected or has had hepatitis treatment before or is still undergoing treatment.
How to know if I am cured of hepatitis C
6 months after the end of the treatment indicated by the doctor, the patient must repeat the blood tests ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, gamma GT and bilirubins, to see if the virus has been eliminated from the liver or not.
If the virus has not been eliminated, the doctor may, in some cases, prescribe a new round of treatment.
It is important to follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor to try to cure hepatitis C because hepatitis C does not heal on its own and because chronic hepatitis C has complications that can include liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, in which case treatment may include transplantation of liver.
Check out a home remedy that can help treat hepatitis.
Side effects of medications
The most commonly used drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C, such as Interferon, Ribavirin, Sofosbuvir or Daklinza cause side effects such as headache, nausea, vomiting, pain throughout the body, fever and chills and, therefore, many patients abandon treatment, increasing the risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Here's how nutrition can help your liver recover:
