Hepatitis C is a liver infection in which the hepatitis C virus spreads from contact with the blood of another person with the infection. It is most common in the “Baby Boomer” generation and can be passed through sex or through shared drug needles. Most people that contract hepatitis C will have a long-term chronic infection, which doesn’t cause any symptoms until the liver disease is very advanced.
Approximately 72,000 people in Maryland are living with chronic hepatitis C infection. Hepatitis C is a virus that causes liver damage and scarring. “Over time, in 10, 20 or even 30 years, it can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer,” explains Sarah Schmalzle, MD, FIDSA, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious disease at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and medical director of the THRIVE program at the UMSOM Institute of Human Virology. Here, Dr. Schmalzle dispels some common myths about the disease.
Myth: I feel fine, so I don’t need to get tested for hepatitis C.
Fact: Symptoms from hepatitis C only start after serious damage is done to the liver. Most people with hepatitis C currently don’t even know they carry the virus. You can get tested with a simple blood test.
Myth: Hepatitis C can’t be cured.
Fact: There are multiple easy-to-take hepatitis C medications that will cure hepatitis C.
Myth: The treatment for hepatitis C is too difficult to take.
Fact: The old treatment for hepatitis C included weekly interferon injections plus pills, taken for up to a year, and often left people feeling exhausted and unable to work. Today’s treatments can cure most cases of hepatitis C with as little as one pill daily for as little as 8 weeks. Almost anyone can take them, and the side effects are fewer and more manageable.
Myth: I can’t afford treatment for hepatitis C.
Fact: While treatments for hepatitis C are expensive, more and more insurance companies are now covering these treatments because they are so effective. Several different medications are available, and your insurance company might have a preference that you take a certain medication. Your doctor and pharmacist will work with your insurance company to get the best treatment for you approved.
Myth: A liver biopsy is needed to get hepatitis C treatment.
Fact: FibroScan is a simple, painless test similar to an ultrasound that can evaluate liver damage. This can be done in the office during your hepatitis C consultation visit and gives important information that your doctor will use to choose the best treatment for you. Liver biopsies are no longer needed!
For more information about diagnosing and treating hepatitis C at UMMC Midtown Campus, call 410-225-8369.
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Medically reviewed by Sarah Schmalzle, MD, FIDSA.
