Treatment For Hepatitis C—The Treatment Decision

The decision to get treatment for hepatitis C is one of the most significant ones you will ever make. Use this tool to prepare a list of questions and concerns you may have and to evaluate your goals for treatment.

Use the table below to indicate which of these benefits is/are most important to you:

My goals for treatment

Use the table below to indicate which of these benefits is/are most important to you:

My main concerns about treatment

	Not a concern of mine	Somewhat important to me	Very important to me	Most important to me
Self-injection/needles
Side effects
Obtaining/storing/managing medication
Treatment not working
Not being able to finish
Cost
Need for support
Questions during treatment
Impact on my life
Not a good time to for me to start

This list is based on your responses to potential benefits and concerns related to hepatitis C treatment. It provides some questions you may want to ask your healthcare provider.

Remember, this is not meant to be a complete list. The decision to start hepatitis C treatment is an important one, and you should get answers to all your questions.

Facts

You're not alone: it's estimated that more than 4 million Americans have been infected with HCV.

Eighty percent of people with hepatitis C have no signs or symptoms of the disease. In fact, many people experience no symptoms that they are aware of until significant liver damage has occurred.

Seventy percent of people who have chronic hepatitis C infection go on to have chronic liver disease.

Combination therapy using pegylated interferon and ribavirin can render the virus undetectable in up to 5 out of 10 persons with genotype 1 and in up to 8 out of 10 persons with genotypes 2 and 3.

Studies have found that hepatitis C patients who are treated before liver damage occurs may respond better to treatment.

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