Hepatitis C Treatment

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that can cause severe, long-term liver damage. The Maltman Medical Center team in Knoxville, Tennessee, offers effective treatment delivered with compassion. The team’s nonjudgmental, welcoming approach ensures you feel valued and respected when receiving hepatitis C treatment. Call Maltman Medical Center to arrange a screening or book an appointment online today to receive outstanding care.

Why do I need hepatitis C treatment?

Hepatitis C is a viral liver disease that can cause a mild, acute infection or become a chronic condition. Acute hepatitis C may develop within six months after exposure to the virus. However, the infection often causes few or no symptoms. If you have hepatitis C symptoms, they could include:

• Fever
• Dark-colored urine
• Abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Jaundice (yellow skin and/or eyes)
• Clay-colored stools
• Joint pain

At least 50% of people who contract acute hepatitis C develop the chronic form, which frequently has no symptoms apart from vague ones like fatigue and depression that could be due to numerous causes.

It can sometimes take 20 years or more to develop liver problems because of chronic hepatitis C. The main reason for this delay is that your liver continually self-heals and is remarkably robust. It carries on functioning as the damage worsens until the point where it starts to fail.

You could develop life-threatening conditions like cirrhosis (severe liver scarring) and liver cancer from chronic hepatitis C unless you get the proper treatment.

Why have I got hepatitis C?

The most likely way to get hepatitis C is exposure to blood from an individual who already has the infection. This transmission route is common in people with substance use disorder who share needles and other drug paraphernalia contaminated with infected blood.

If you don’t inject drugs, sharing personal items like razors or toothbrushes with someone else could pass on the infection if there’s blood on them. Getting tattoos or body piercings from an unregulated provider could also lead to hepatitis C infection. Another way many people catch hepatitis C is during unprotected sex.

Having hepatitis C once doesn’t prevent future infections, so you may reinfect yourself by repeating risky behaviors.

What is hepatitis C treatment?

After confirming the diagnosis, your provider can prescribe oral antiviral medications. These drugs cure more than 90% of chronic hepatitis C patients within 8-12 weeks.

The Maltman Medical Center team has had amazing success with hepatitis C treatment. Team members value everyone and love making people welcome, often receiving compliments from happy patients because this is the only practice they’ve been to that’s made them feel at home and unashamed of needing treatment.

To check your hepatitis C status and receive effective therapy when needed, call Maltman Medical Center or request an appointment online today.