Hepatitis C

Treatments for hepatitis C

Treatment takes 8 to 12 weeks, and usually cures the infection. But you won’t be immune to hepatitis C. So you should take steps to reduce your risk of becoming infected again.

If the infection is diagnosed early (acute hepatitis), you may not need treatment straight away. Instead, you may have another blood test after a few months to see if your body fights off the virus itself.

If the infection continues for several months (chronic hepatitis), treatment will usually be recommended.

Things you can do yourself

There are things you can do to stop liver damage and prevent the infection spreading to others before you start treatment.

Do

• eat a healthy and balanced diet
• exercise regularly
• speak to your doctor if you’re thinking of having a baby
• use condoms when having anal sex, or sex with a new partner
• get vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B
• if you inject drugs, use a fresh safe injecting kit (available from needle exchanges) every time you inject

Don’t

• do not drink alcohol
• do not smoke
• do not share toothbrushes, razors, needles or other injecting equipment with other people
• do not share any drug-injecting equipment – including needles, syringes, spoons and filters
• do not share razors or toothbrushes

The risk of getting hepatitis C through vaginal sex is very low. It may be higher if blood is present, such as period (menstrual) blood or from bleeding during anal sex.

How is hepatitis C spread?

You can become infected with hepatitis C if you come into contact with the blood of an infected person.

Some ways the infection can be spread include:

• injecting drugs and sharing needles and other drug equipment, such as spoons and filters
• sharing toothbrushes, razors or scissors contaminated with infected blood
• from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby
• having sex with an infected person without using a condom – if your partner has hepatitis C, you should be tested
• having a tattoo, body piercing, or medical or dental treatment with unsterilised equipment
• if you had a blood transfusion in Scotland before 1996, you may have been exposed to hepatitis C – all donor blood in Scotland has been screened for hepatitis C since September 1991, however there is an extremely small possibility that some infections may have occurred from blood transfusions after universal screening was introduced but before a reporting system for transfusion risks began in 1996

There's no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C, but you can still lower your chances of getting infected.

If hepatitis C is left untreated for many years, it can damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis. In severe cases, this can eventually turn into life-threatening problems such as liver failure or liver cancer.

Treating hepatitis C early prevents these serious complications, while treating it later still lowers the risk.

Other conditions

Hepatitis C is more common in people living with HIV. If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, you should be offered an HIV test. If you have hepatitis C but haven't been offered an HIV test, you can:

• speak to your healthcare provider about getting tested for HIV
• get a free test using one of these options

Testing for HIV when you have hepatitis C can help with early diagnosis, treatment and preventing passing it on.

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