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How Long Should You Follow Up with Your Physician After Hepatitis C Treatment?

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By Connie Welch

2 min read

Hepatitis C patients often ask how long they should follow up with their liver specialists after treatment is completed. There is a wide variety of treatments for hepatitis C, with treatment length ranging from 8 to 24 weeks. The standard treatment length for hepatitis C is generally 12 weeks.

Blood tests after treatment

Patients will have blood work at intervals as early as 2 to 4 weeks after treatment, depending on their physician, their liver health, and their overall medical condition. A blood test to check for viral load is typically done at 4 weeks post-treatment. The gold standard for post-treatment blood work is to check for viral load count at 12 weeks after treatment is completed. If the patient shows "non-detected", they achieve an SVR12 (sustained virologic response), meaning the hepatitis C virus shows non-detected 12 weeks after treatment is completed - They are cured.

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Follow-up care

Most liver specialists will follow-up with their patients up to 24 weeks after treatment. Depending on the patient’s liver condition with liver damage, the liver specialist may need to see them every 6 months to once a year. If the patient has no liver damage, their physician may decide to not follow up after 12 weeks post-treatment. The need for follow-up visits and tests can begin as early as 6 months to once a year after treatment depending on their liver damage and medical condition. Follow-up tests are necessary in order to monitor the condition of the liver, treat any complications from liver damage, and treat/manage associated conditions.

You may also consider asking your doctor if you should be screened for liver cancer, or other health conditions that can be linked to hepatitis C or liver disease. Fortunately, hepatitis C treatment can dramatically reduce a patient's risk of liver cancer.

Tests after treatment

A variety of tests may be done after treatment, including:

  • Physical exams
  • Blood work
  • Ultrasound (sonograms)
  • Endoscopy
  • MRI
  • Fibroscan or liver biopsy

Other tests may be necessary depending on the patient’s condition. Talk with your liver specialists about which post-hepatitis C treatment follow-up appointments and tests are right for you.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The HepatitisC.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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