Completing Treatment Is the Only
Way to Be Sure
Even if you experience unpleasant side effects, it is incredibly important to complete your hepatitis C treatment. It's your best chance to eradicate the virus. But be sure to discuss these side effects with your doctor. Because many of them can be managed, and your doctor may want to adjust your dosage level.
Without a full course of treatment, over time hepatitis C may cause increasing damage to the liver. Inflammation (swelling) and fibrosis (scarring) slow down the liver's ability to filter and remove toxins from the blood. Eventually, hardened scar tissue can replace large amounts of normal liver tissue.
This condition, called cirrhosis, seriously impairs the liver's ability to function. As a result, blood that cannot pass freely through the liver may back up into the spleen, causing the spleen to become enlarged. In addition, the liver may not be able to produce enough bile to aid in the absorption and handling of nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, and most fats.
The longer treatment is delayed — or if it is not completed successfully — the more likely significant and permanent liver damage will occur. Eventually, the liver's function may become so impaired that other body functions may be severely weakened, too.
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