It is important to understand the nature of this disease, which can progress to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, and to know what treatments are available. It is also important to bear in mind that treatment of hepatitis C is a long process and can be very discouraging for patients, e.g. if they relapse or fail to respond to treatment.

A relapse occurs when the virus becomes undetectable during treatment but reappears when treatment is stopped. Nonresponse means that the virus remains detectable throughout the course of treatment.
Newly approved combination treatments that reduce levels of hepatitis C virus to below the limit of detection are providing new hope for hepatitis C patients.