Doctors Who Treat Hepatitis C

What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Epclusa

Serious side effects may also include:

These are not all the possible side effects of EPCLUSA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call .

Helpful Tips While Taking Hepatitis C Medications

• Always follow your health care providers advice, particularly the instructions on taking your medicine.
• If you have to cancel an appointment, call your provider and schedule a new one as soon as possible.
• Take good care of yourself. Eat well, drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day, and try to get a full nights sleep.
• Learn about the hepatitis C medications you are taking. This includes special risks and warnings.
• If taking ribavirin, use sunscreen, wear long sleeves and a hat, and limit sun exposure.
• Write down your doctors name and phone number. Carry this information with you at all times.
• Write the names and amounts of the medicines you are taking. Carry this information with you at all times.

Epclusa Can Cause Serious Side Effects Including:

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Hepatitis C Long Term Effects

A hepatitis C infection that continues over many years can cause significant complications, such as:

• Scarring of the liver
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure

It is important that all adults ages 18 to 79 years be screened by hep C doctors for hepatitis C, even those without symptoms or known liver disease. While hep C treatment can cure chronic hepatitis C, long term damage to the liver may be irreversible if not diagnosed early. Seeking screening and treatment from a hep C clinic can reduce your risk for chronic liver issues.

At HealthCore Clinic, we treat hepatitis C using our integrated approach. We combine medical and behavioral health with your treatment to remove barriers and ensure each patient is able to complete the treatment successfully. We treat the hepatitis C infection with antiviral medications and regular check-ins with your healthcare team for 3 months on average. The goal of the treatment is to eliminate the hepatitis C virus from your body.

Our integrated approach to hep C treatment provides you access to improve your whole health and wellness all under one roof. Patients are more actively engaged in improving their health and living hepatitis C free through a team-based approach. You are the leader of your hep C treatment team.

Our integrated approach to hep C treatment includes:

• Free Transportation
• Free transportation to all medical, behavioral health, pharmacy, lab, and office visits related to the hepatitis C treatment at HealthCore Clinic are available.

Check The Specialists Credentials

Before you visit a new specialist, you may consider checking their credentials.

To learn if a doctor is licensed to practice medicine in your state, visit DocInfo.org. This database provides information about doctors education, certifications, and medical licenses. It also provides a public record of disciplinary action that a doctor might have faced from licensing boards.

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Advancing Hepatitis C Treatment

The standard treatment for HCV used to be a combination of the antiviral drug ribavirin with pegylated interferon . However, interferon causes significant side effects and wasnt very effective at curing HCV.

Newer hepatitis C drugs developed in the last decade are associated with fewer side effects, are taken orally , can often cure this viral infection , and have dramatically changed the way we treat hepatitis C today. All of these drug regimens avoid the need for interferon entirely. NewYork-Presbyterian physicians were leaders in the clinical trials that ultimately led to the approval of sofosbuvir , one of the first oral medications approved by the FDA, and continue to participate in trials with newer medications, including therapies to treat patients who have failed previous treatments.

Our physicians have exceptional experience in the use of all the currently approved antiviral drugs in patients with all genotypes of hepatitis C and degrees of liver disease, including treatment before and after liver transplantation. The drugs that are best for you will depend on the genotype of your HCV infection , your treatment history, and your liver health. Your healthcare team will assess you carefully and recommend the drugs that are likely to be most effective for you, providing monitoring and counseling throughout your treatment and beyond.

Tests For Liver Problems

To check how well your liver is working, you may have:

• Liver function tests. These are blood tests that can help your doctor find out if you have liver damage.
• A liver biopsy. The doctor puts a needle in the liver to find out whether the virus has caused scarring or damage to your liver.
• Imaging tests such as a CT scan, an MRI, or an ultrasound to make sure that you donât have liver cancer.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Hepatitis C

Most people infected with hepatitis C have no symptoms. Some people with an acute hepatitis C infection may have symptoms within 1 to 3 months after they are exposed to the virus. These symptoms may include

• vomiting
• yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice

If you have chronic hepatitis C, you most likely will have no symptoms until complications develop, which could be decades after you were infected. For this reason, hepatitis C screening is important, even if you have no symptoms.

How Common Is Hepatitis C In The United States

In the United States, hepatitis C is the most common chronic viral infection found in blood and spread through contact with blood.14

Researchers estimate that about 2.7 million to 3.9 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C.13 Many people who have hepatitis C dont have symptoms and dont know they have this infection.

Since 2006, the number of new hepatitis C infections has been rising, especially among people younger than age 30 who inject heroin or misuse prescription opioids and inject them.15,16

New screening efforts and more effective hepatitis C treatments are helping doctors identify and cure more people with the disease. With more screening and treatment, hepatitis C may become less common in the future. Researchers estimate that hepatitis C could be a rare disease in the United States by 2036.17

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What Should You Do In The Meantime

There are general guidelines to prevent transmission of infection, which you should keep in mind if you have a hepatitis Infection:

• Do not donate blood, tissue or semen
• Do not share appliances that come into contact with blood, such as toothbrushes, dental appliances, razors, nail clippers, glucometer and blood sugar testing lancets or needles
• Do not engage in unprotected sexual activity with multiple partners
• Reduce or discontinue alcohol consumption, as alcohol use may contribute to early development of liver disease
• Consider losing weight , follow a healthy diet and stay physically active

How Effective Is Treatment

Direct-acting antivirals cure 9 out of 10 patients with hepatitis C.

Successful treatment does not give you any protection against another hepatitis C infection. You can still catch it again.

There’s no vaccine for hepatitis C.

If treatment does not work, it may be repeated, extended, or a different combination of medicines may be tried.

Your doctor or nurse will be able to advise you.

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Avoid Alcohol And Drugs

One of the most important jobs of your liver is to break down drugs and alcohol. If you have hepatitis C, one of the best things you can do is to avoid substances that may harm your liver, such as alcohol and illegal drugs. If you have cirrhosis, you also may need to avoid certain medicines.

If you use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, it is important to stop. Being honest with your doctor about your drug and alcohol use will help you deal with any substance use disorders. If you donât feel that you can talk openly with your doctor, you may want to find a doctor you feel more comfortable with. If you want to stop using drugs or alcohol and need help to do so, ask your doctor or someone else you trust about drug and alcohol treatment options.

Because many medicines can stress your liver, talk to your doctor before you take any prescription or over-the-counter medicines. This includes herbal remedies as well.

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Will A Specialist Need To Be Involved

In order to prescribe, general practitioners including physicians with expertise in viral hepatitis, will be required to first consult with a gastroenterologist, hepatologist or infectious diseases physician to ensure patients with liver disease or other complex needs are appropriately referred to specialist care. A face to face consult with the specialist is not required and patients with complex needs will likely be referred to specialist care where appropriate.

Patients affected by hepatitis C with severe or advanced liver disease may still need to access the treatments under the care of a specialist â such as a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, or an infectious disease physician with experience in treating chronic hepatitis C infection.

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How Many Victorians Are Affected By Hepatitis C And Who Is Affected

Hepatitis C is the most common blood borne virus in Australia with approximately 230,000 people currently living with hepatitis C in Australia and around 65,000 in Victoria.

The population most at risk of acquiring hepatitis C are people who currently inject drugs including people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, prisoners, older people, and young injectors and/or new initiates to injecting drug use.

Hepatitis C Clinical Trials

NewYork-Presbyterian investigators are leading studies of highly promising targeted HCV medications to improve the cure rate for people with various types of hepatitis C. You may have an opportunity to participate in a clinical trial of a promising new therapy.

• Center for the Study of Hepatitis C. NewYork-Presbyterian also participates in the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, a collaborative research and treatment partnership comprised of physicians and researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College, The Rockefeller University, and NewYork-Presbyterian. The Center participates in many clinical trials and has a serum and tissue repository, and a database with blood and liver samples from over 1,500 people.

Contact Us

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Gastroenterologist Hepatologist And Infectious Disease Specialist

A gastroenterologist is a doctor who has specific training in disorders that affect the organs in your digestive system, including your liver. A hepatologist is a kind of gastroenterologist who focuses on problems with your liver.

An infectious disease specialist is a doctor who has special training in infections, using antibiotics to treat infections, and the effects antibiotics can cause.

One of these specialists — or a team of them — will:

• Recommend tests to make sure you have hepatitis C
• Find out how well your liver is working
• Work with you to create a treatment plan
• Prescribe medication and explain how to take it
• See if the treatment works for you and change it if necessary
• Help you manage any side effects or other issues related to your treatment or condition

What Else Should You Know

It is possible to have an active infection of at least two types of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus coinfection is a complex medical condition where the viruses replicate in the same host. In some instances, one virus is more dominant than the other, while there can also be cases where one virus either stimulates or suppresses the other’s replication. Patients living with HBV-HCV coinfection are more prone to cirrhosis and severe liver disease.

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Ask Other Patients For Recommendations

If you have friends or family members whove been treated for hepatitis C or other types of liver disease, consider asking them for recommendations. Based on their personal experiences, they might encourage you to visit one specialist or avoid another.

You can also find patient reviews of doctors and other healthcare providers online. Remember that websites offering doctor reviews arent necessarily vetted and often anyone can post reviews. Even so, you may find it helpful if you notice a specialist who has many glowing reviews.

Patient support groups, online discussion boards, and social medial platforms also allow people with hepatitis C to connect with one another and discuss their experiences with different specialists.

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• 175 Village Center BlvdMyrtle Beach, SC29579

• featured4040 Highway 17 Unit 302Murrells Inlet, SC29576
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• 24440 Stone Springs BlvdDulles, VA24440 Stone Springs BlvdDulles, VA3.62 miles away
• 1850 Town Center PkwyReston, VA1850 Town Center PkwyReston, VA8.29 miles away

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How To Find The Right Doctor

Finding the correct doctor to treat hepatitis C first involves a visit to a primary care physician . During this consultation, the PCP will recommend the type of specialist who is most qualified to treat the individual. They can also write a referral.

Gastroenterologists and hepatologists both focus on diagnosing and treating diseases that affect the liver. Due to this, they are well-placed to treat those with significant liver damage from hepatitis C.

Infectious disease specialists can also manage HCV infections. However, although they can treat the disease itself, they may not be able to treat any liver damage.

People who have severe liver damage and need a new liver will likely need treatment from a transplant surgeon.

Before choosing a specific specialist, it is advisable to check:

• the doctors experience
• the level of satisfaction of previous patients
• the doctors ability to answer questions about treatment

Other things that people should consider when choosing a doctor include their insurance coverage and how easily they can travel to the clinic.

Some people might find it helpful to seek information from patient support groups, discussion boards, and social media platforms. These allow individuals to connect with others who have hepatitis C and provide a place to share advice on treatment options.

Look For A Good Personality Fit

Medical expertise is important but its not the only thing that matters when it comes to providing medical care. Its also important to find a specialist whose demeanor and attitudes are compatible with your needs and preferences.

Do you feel comfortable talking to the specialist about your health needs? Do they listen to your questions and concerns? Do they share information in a way you can understand? Do they treat you with consideration and respect?

If youre not comfortable with your specialist or their recommended treatment plan, it may be time to find another doctor. The more effectively you can communicate with your doctor, the easier it will be for you to work together to treat hepatitis C.

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What Should You Expect When You See A Specialist

When you see a specialist, you should expect to get laboratory and radiology testing. At the time of a hepatitis C infection clinic visit you should expect:

• Medical evaluation of the presence or development of liver disease
• Specific information regarding the type of hepatitis C virus
• Testing for HIV infection
• Discussion regarding possible treatment options and strategies
• Advice on how to monitor liver health, even if treatment is not recommended
• Consideration of hepatitis A and B vaccination

Contagious And Incubation Periods

The incubation periodthe time it takes for symptoms to appear after the hepatitis C virus has entered your bodyis from 2 weeks to 6 months. But not all people have symptoms when they are first infected.

You can spread the virus to someone else at any time after you are infected, even if you donât have symptoms.

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How To Find A Doctor That Specializes In Hep C

Doctors who treat hepatitis C include primary care providers, physicians, doctors who specialize in liver diseases , doctors who specialize in stomach and intestinal diseases , and doctors who specialize in infectious disease.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with hepatitis C or feel you may be at risk for hepatitis C, request an appointment below to meet with one of our hep C doctors in Wichita and learn more about our integrated approach to hep C treatment.