STD HEPATITIS C: SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS ARE POSSIBLE
Unfortunately, one of the most common types of hepatitis C (that caused by type lb of the virus) is also the most common type to progress. In addition men and older people are more likely to develop these complications. A liver biopsy (which involves taking a piece of liver from a person under anesthesia and then examining the sample under a microscope) can determine how much liver damage has occurred from infection much more accurately than can blood tests.
About 20 percent of people who develop cirrhosis also develop liver failure. Liver transplantation may be an option: about 30 percent of the liver transplants performed in the United States are in people with hepatitis C infection, and in many of these recipients other factors, such as alcohol abuse, caused liver damage.
Although serious complications are possible in those infected with hepatitis C, most people who are infected do not have these problems, and they remain symptom free. Being aware of the importance of taking precautions to protect against further liver damage—by, for example, not drinking alcohol, avoiding reinfection, and avoiding medications that can cause liver damage—will help protect you against complications.
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