Understanding the Risks of Not Treating
Something to keep in mind: NOT getting treatment for hep C is an important decision with long-term consequences for your health. It's not simply giving yourself more time to think about it or looking for the right time to come in your life. You are choosing a course of action—making a conscious, active decision. The short-term benefits of not getting treatment are obvious. The long-term effects of this decision may not be so apparent.
Here's what you risk:
- Scarring of your liver (fibrosis), which may have been slowed, prevented, or even reversed by treatment
- Cirrhosis: severe liver damage that may lead to liver failure
- The development of liver cancer
- The need for a liver transplant
Explore more about the risks and benefits of treatment with our Treatment Decision Tool.
More than half of people who opt for treatment have a sustained virologic response, meaning that the virus is undetectable in their blood 6 months or more after they complete hep C therapy.
Combination therapy using pegylated interferon and ribavirin may make the virus undetectable in up to 5 out of 10 persons with genotype 1 and in up to 8 out of 10 persons with genotype 2 and 3. Response to treatment may vary based on individual factors.
But what about those who don't clear the virus from their blood? Have they all wasted valuable time and significant effort for nothing? For many of them, the answer is no. Tests of your liver's health are also a significant part of your doctor's assessment of your overall health. Even if you do not get rid of the virus, you may benefit from treatment.
In the end, not treating your hep C is an option that is open to you. But remember that this is a real decision that you are making, not merely procrastination or deferring your choice. There is no “pause” button for your liver's health.
Will you ever be stronger than you are today?
Has there ever been a better time for prescription treatment?
