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A blood-borne virus that can cause damage to your liver

	Some people with hepatitis C don’t develop any health problems, while others get serious liver damage. Turn to ConsumerReportsHealth.org to learn more about treatment and outcomes for the three different types of hepatitis C that are most common in the U.S.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org to find out the type of interferon treatment that rates best for treating hepatitis C.

We've brought together the best research about hepatitis C, and weighed the evidence about ways to treat it. You can use our information to talk with your doctor and decide which treatments are best for you.

Key points about hepatitis C

• Hepatitis C is caused by a virus in blood. You can catch it if blood from an infected person gets into your body.
• You are most likely to get hepatitis C if you share needles to inject illegal drugs, but you can get it in other ways as well.
• Infection with hepatitis C often does not produce any symptoms, so the only way to find out for sure if you are infected is to have a blood test.
• If the virus stays in your body a long time, you can get serious liver damage, called cirrhosis. But some people never develop serious health problems.
• Treatments may get rid of the virus, but they don’t work for everyone, and they may be unpleasant and difficult to stick with.
• There are three types of hepatitis C that are common in the U.S.: types 1, 2 and 3. Treatment will get rid of the hepatitis C virus in eight of 10 people with types 2 and 3. Treatment works in only four to five of 10 people with type 1 hepatitis.

Pegylated interferon taken with ribavirin is the preferred treatment for hepatitis C. But people with certain medical conditions, like heart and kidney disease, and women who are pregnant, cannot take ribavirin. These people would have to take pegylated interferon by itself, without the ribavirin.

We encourage you to read our entire condition report and to consult with your doctor to learn more about hepatitis C. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, you’ll have access to our expert research and recommendations, and you’ll be more confident and knowledgeable about which treatments are best for you.