Hepatitis C symptoms: What is the treatment?

The news that Dr. Timothy Morley's medical license has been suspended after four of his patients tested positive for the same strain of Hepatitis C has prompted questions about the disease, its symptoms and potential treatments.

On Monday, the New York State Department of Health and Westchester County Health Department said Morley's patients may have been exposed to Hepatitis B or C or HIV and to seek testing.

RELATED: Westchester doctor's patients exposed to hepatitis

What is Hep C?

According to Dr. Peter M. Varunok, a gastroenterologist at Vassar Brothers Medical Center and MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, Hepatitis C is a virus-caused, blood-borne disease of the liver that wasn't isolated until the early 1990s.

Prior to that, anyone subjected to a blood transfusion, a dental procedure, or natural birth could still be carrying the virus, which may result in liver dysfunction, cancer and ultimately death. But new drugs make Hep C over 95 percent curable, said Varunok.

The Hepatitis C virus is often referred to as a silent killer, lingering long before it causes damage to health: "Very rarely do patients have symptoms," Varunok said. "Fatigue is probably most common, but everyone has fatigue. It's not until the virus causes damage, as soon as you get liver disease that you may be aware of it. Better to eradicate the virus before it gets to that point."

Get tested

Varunok recommends a routine blood test for any Baby Boomer at their primary care physician's office to screen for the widespread virus.

"If you were born between 1945 and 1965, you should be tested," he said. "The rationale is that 75 percent of people infected with Hepatitis C are in that age range. The vast majority of people of that age infected with it —  estimated at 3 to 4 million Americans — have no idea that they are infected. So the National Centers for Disease Control came out with a recommendation that if you're in the Baby Boomer age range, take the test."

"There's no excuse not to get tested," he added.  "This can have such an impact on your quality of life and your longevity. The test for Hepatitis C is highly accurate. You get the results within a week. And then you can be provided an effective remedy."

Anyone who underwent an infusion, injection or had blood drawn at Tomorrow Medicine in Mount Kisco or White Plains, or at Morley's previous medicine practice, Advance Medicine of Mount Kisco, should get tested, officials said. 

Testing is available at no cost for patients through the Westchester County Health Department and appointments can be made by calling 914-995-7499.

Major advances in treatment 

"There are several drugs we can use against the Hepatitis C virus. It depends on the subtype of virus that you have," Varunok said. "It usually involves just a pill that you take daily anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks and then the virus is stopped."

Varnunok said most insurances routinely cover Hepatitis C drugs. "In terms of what people have to pay, it's usually a co-pay, and nothing more than that."

Additional reporting by Colleen Wilson and Karen Croke.