An update on the management of hepatitis-C

Hepatitis-C is a silent epidemic. Proper measures are required to be reinforced to prevent the spread of this disease. Combination treatment with interferon and ribavirin has been holding ground in the battle to fight this disease. The number of responders to hepatitis-C has increased even more with the advent of pegylated interferon. The treatment has to be well planned and a pre-treatment evaluation is mandatory. Similarly, during treatment, proper monitoring of the patients is of utmost importance. However, there are treatment limits for each genotype which must be respected. There is no single approach for non-responders, hence, this situation continues to be a therapeutic dilemma. Use of interferon in compensated cirrhosis has its own limitations while its role in decompensated cirrhosis remains experimental only. Liver biopsy has its importance in proper evaluation of the patient. Acute hepatitis-C is rare but current data suggests that active treatment is as much necessary for acute as it is for chronic hepatitis.