My friend has hep. c. and a bad liver can we save him?

You may need treatment if


The National Institutes of Health recommends treatment for HCV if you have:





A positive test result indicating hepatitis C virus circulating in your bloodstream


A biopsy that indicates significant liver damage


Elevated levels of a liver enzyme called alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in your blood


You may not need treatment if


If you have only slight liver abnormalities, your doctor may decide against medical treatment because your long-term risk of developing a serious disease is slight, and the side effects of treatment can be severe.





On the other hand, because there's no foolproof way to know whether you'll develop liver disease later on, your doctor may recommend fighting the virus. Improved treatment methods and a higher success rate in fighting hepatitis sometimes tip the balance in favor of more aggressive approaches.





Drug therapies — pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin


The standard of care for hepatitis C treatment is weekly injections of a drug called pegylated interferon alfa combined with twice-daily oral doses of ribavirin (Rebetol) — a broad-spectrum antiviral agent. Two pegylated interferon medications are available, peginterferon alfa-2b (Peg-Intron) and peginterferon alfa-2a (Pegasys).





The goal of HCV treatment is to clear the virus from your bloodstream. Combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin clear HCV infection in 40 percent to 80 percent of those treated. It's success often depends on the type of infection. For example, this treatment clears infection in up to half the people with genotype 1 — the most common genotype found in the United States — and in up to 80 percent of those with genotypes 2 and 3.





Duration of treatment


If you have genotype 1 HCV, your doctor may recommend a course of relatively high-dose medications for 48 weeks. If you have genotype 2 or genotype 3, a 24-week course of medications at a lower dose may be adequate.





If one course of combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin doesn't clear HCV from your bloodstream, your doctor may recommend a second course of combination therapy. If your viral load declined during the first round of medications, a second round may clear the virus completely. Even if there was no change in your viral load during the first course of treatment, a second course may help reduce the damage HCV does to your liver.





Side effects of medications


Interferon side effects include severe flu-like symptoms, irritability, depression, concentration and memory problems, skin irritation, fatigue and insomnia.





Ribavirin can cause a low red blood cell count (anemia), itchiness, nasal congestion, skin irritation, fatigue and birth defects.





Combination therapy including pegylated interferon and ribavirin may cause psychosis or suicidal behavior in a small number of people. For this reason, treatment with interferon isn't recommended if you have a history of uncontrolled major depression. You're also not a good candidate for this treatment if you're pregnant or have untreated thyroid disease, low blood cell counts or autoimmune disease, or if you drink alcohol or use drugs and are unwilling to stop or seek help with stopping.





Side effects from combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin are generally most severe during the first few weeks of treatment, and may be improved with pain relief medications and antidepressants. However, some people taking interferon need their dosage reduced because of severe side effects, and others must stop treatment.





Liver transplantation


The best treatment for people with end-stage liver disease is liver transplantation. However, the number of people awaiting transplants far exceeds the number of donated organs. But several new developments in transplantation may make it possible for more people to receive transplants.





These developments include the donation of liver segments from living relatives, splitting one donated liver between two recipients, new organ allocation policies and, especially, new approaches to liver transplants for people with HCV.





Until recently, HCV-infected livers were routinely discarded. But studies show that people already infected with HCV who receive livers from HCV-positive donors can do as well as if they had received a liver not infected with the virus. This may mean that many more livers will become available for people with hepatitis C.





Liver transplantation does not cure HCV. The majority of people with hepatitis C who receive liver transplants experience a recurrence of the virus. Those with HCV who receive liver transplants also are at accelerated risk of developing cirrhosis within five years. Treatment with HCV-fighting medications may help prevent a recurrence of infection or treat recurrent illness that develops after a liver transplant. However, the effectiveness of this type of treatment after a liver transplant is unclear.





Immunizations


Your doctor will likely recommend that you are vaccinated against the hepatitis A and B viruses. These are separate viruses that can also cause liver damage and complicate treatment of hepatitis C.





http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hepatiti...

My friend has hep. c. and a bad liver can we save him?
Depends. What do you mean when you say bad liver. Can you be a little more specific?
Reply:If he drinks, or takes drugs,


then possibly if he stops.





My uncle had hep. c and a bad liver.


He was also on drugs %26amp; drank alot.


The docters told him, if he stopped


the drinking, and drugs for 6months


they would give him a liver transfer.


He didnt.


And he's now passed on /:





But he needs to see a professial asap.


and if he already is


Talk about a liver trasplant.
Reply:Your friend MUST stop drinking and doing drugs. It's really hard on the liver any how, even worse with hep c. He should ask his doctor about taking interferon treatments. The new treatments don't have the severe side effects like the old one and has a much high percentage rate of helping people. There is no cure for hep c, but a successful barrage of treatments can lower the viral load to 0. The virus always stays in the body, even after treatment. I have met a lot of people that have had great success with the treatments. My husband just started them. He got Hep c from a field blood transfusion in Viet Nam. He's had the disease all these years and never knew it. But he is not a drinker and never did drugs, so his liver is actually in really good condition. Tell your friend to ask his doctor. A liver transplant is not a cure for hep c either. They are good for maybe 5 - 10 years and hep c can reoccur.