How effective are interferon injections to cure Hepatitis?
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Aster (
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April 4th, 2013
A lady friend of mine was getting interferon for Hepatitis C caused by a very old blood transfusion in Mexico. The nurse finally called her after months of her vomiting and feeling weak to tell her, “you’re cured!” So do the shots always work?
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5 Answers
I know Hepatitis C can be deadly, so my guess is it doesn’t always work. It’s just a guess, I am not a doctor, and know minimal information about Hep C.
I have a friend going thorough this right now. He has 9 shots to go. His count is already “undetectable.”
However, he said the side effects are terrible. “They can be used as an alternate CIA interrogation technique.”
It depends what type of hep-c is being treated as some types are more resistant to treatment. Interferon is often give in combination with other antivirals which improves the chance of success. At the centre I work at about 70% of people who complete treatment clear the infection which dramatically reduces the risk of getting liver cancer and needing a transplant.
Again, what @Lightlyseared said. Sustained viral response (or “cure” in the vernacular) is totally dependent upon the genotype and the therapy that was offered.
So your question, “Do the shots always work”, the answer is no. But if your question is, “What is the statistical chance of cure” the answer is it depends.
There’s a crapload of information here. http://health.nih.gov/topic/HepatitisC
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