Many factors determine a patient's hepatitis C prognosis. The first and most important variable is the amount of damage the virus has inflicted on the liver by the time of diagnosis. Once diagnostic tests determine liver health, other factors such as the patient's medical history and overall health become important. The information gained from a thorough physical examination greatly influences a hepatitis C prognosis, as it allows a physician to choose the best treatment options. As a hepatitis C prognosis worsens the longer a person remains undiagnosed, individuals at risk or feeling symptomatic should seek the care of their primary physician as soon as possible.
All forms of hepatitis cause liver damage. Hepatitis C is a virus transmitted through blood. Liver damage rarely occurs within the first six months of infection, a period known as the acute phase. After this time, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis develop as the virus concentrates in the liver. In many patients, the first symptoms of hepatitis C manifest as those relating to liver malfunction. Assessing liver function and health at the time of diagnosis is the first step a physician takes in developing a hepatitis C prognosis.
A patient's medical history and current health heavily influence his or her hepatitis C prognosis. Many patients with hepatitis C are comorbid with HIV, as both viruses are transmitted through blood. Cormobidity limits treatment options, as treating both conditions simultaneously might cause dangerous drug interactions and/or the patient might already be in a severely weakened state from the effects of both conditions. The better overall health a patient has at the time of diagnosis greatly increases the odds of a full recovery.
Even if a patient is in relatively good health, prognosis is affected by the particular genotype of hepatitis C he or she carries. There are five major genotypes of hepatitis C, and the one an individual carries greatly influences the effectiveness of medical treatment. For example, type 1 hepatitis C is most common in North America. The standard treatment is a 48-week course of interferon and ribavirin, two drugs used in treating all hepatitis C genotypes. The treatment effectively cures half of all patients, though some may be infectious to others for the rest of their lives.
Though the chances of curing a patient's type 1 hepatitis C are only 50%, the success rate does rise dramatically if testing reveals the virus while it is still in its acute stage. This fact alone makes it very important that individuals at risk for hepatitis C have themselves regularly tested. Testing not only improves one's chances of a complete recovery, but also prevents the future infection of others.