Advancing Liver Disease

It’s far better for the public health to test broadly for HCV, and to treat it early. Advanced HCV liver disease is costly, painful, and preventable! Left undiagnosed and/or untreated, hepatitis C advances – often silently – until suddenly it is too late.

Overview of HCV Disease Progression
If acute hepatitis C infection (HCV) becomes a chronic infection it can eventually progress to a more serious disease. Over time it can produce fibrosis (light, moderate and severe scarring), cirrhosis (extensive scarring), decompensated cirrhosis (potentially life-threatening scarring), liver cancer, the need for a new liver (liver transplant) and for some it could lead to death.  To educate yourself further about these important issues, see:

• Understanding Cirrhosis of the Liver: First steps for the newly diagnosed (this is a particularly easy to understand introduction to cirrhosis, but has all the most important facts for families and patients to know and discuss further with health care providers. Written by hepatology nurses with lots of practical experience!)
• Autoimmune Liver Disease
• Liver Cancer (HCC)
• Transplant
• Palliative Care