Medication Used in Treatment:
Until recently, there has been no way to treat hepatitis viral infection. Interferon alpha-2b produces a remission of the disease in 30-40 percent of persons with chronic hepatitis B and 20-25 percent of those infected with chronic hepatitis C. However, once individuals stop taking the drug, 50 to 80 percent of them will suffer a relapse. Only 10 percent of hepatitis B cases are cleared of the virus.
For treatment of hepatitis C, another drug, ribavirin, is currently pending with the Food and Drug Administration. However, several available vaccines can prevent hepatitis B. They are all safe and effective, and they seem to prevent infection if begun within a few days of exposure.

Some types of cirrhosis can be treated, but often there is no cure. At this point, treatment is mostly supportive and may include a strict diet, diuretics, vitamins ad abstinence from alcohol.

Additional Information:
The following websites have excellent information from which this summary was made, notably: The American Liver Foundation- http://gi.ucsf.edu/alf.html
The Canadian Hepatitis Information Network- www.hepnet.com/

(Guy De Lisle Dear MD, Alert Diver, Sept-Oct 1999.)