慢性肝炎占十大死亡原因之一，其中慢性C型肝炎病毒，因為基因體擁有高度變異性，突變率，使得C型肝炎病毒逃脫宿主免疫監視，導致持續性感染；有些接受治療者，沒有出現病毒學反應現象；此外，這也可以解釋C型肝炎疫苗發展困難之處。慢性C型肝炎會造成肝硬化，肝細胞癌合併症；有一些研究建議：在肝硬化的C型肝炎病人，採用interferon合併ribavirin治療，可能降低發展成肝細胞癌的合併症。現代慢性C型肝炎治療趨勢是peginterferon合併ribavirin，其療程長短及ribavirin劑量應視C型肝炎病毒基因型而定。ribavirin治療禁忌患者，應該接受peginterferon單一療法。慢性C型肝炎患者，不應該單獨依ALT值正常，而排除治療，應同時考慮其它相關因素。如何將藥物療法引起副作用降至最低，增強病人完成療程意願，將會明顯地影響持續性病毒學反應。對於同時感染HIV, HCV患者，治療目標，視個案免疫學狀態而定。有些慢性C型肝炎患者，會自行攝取中藥，包括：milk thistle、貫葉連翹、銀杏葉、人參、echinacea等。暸解這些生葯作用，與西藥間交互作用，將有助於病人用藥安全。
 

Chronic hepatitis is the one of death of top ten. In chronic hepatitis C, high quasispecies and mutation of HCV genotype allow the virus to escape the host’s immune surveillance, leading to persistent infection. The extensive genetic heterogeneity of HCV perhaps explaining difficulties in vaccine development and the lack of response to therapy. Chronic HCV infection leading to cirrhosis and HCC. Some studies showed that treatment with interferon and ribavirin may reduce the risk of developing HCC in HCV patients with cirrhosis. Current treatment of chronic hepatitis C is using the combination of peginteferon and ribavirin. The dose of ribavirin and the term of therapy were based on the genome type of HCV. Peginterferon was used in some HCV patients who were not suitable to be treated with ribavirin. The HCV patients can not only follow the ALT value to determine the treating protocol.It is necessary to consider other factors. For HCV patients, to decrease the side effects of drug will significantly increase the volition to complete the therapy protocol and will influence SR. In HIV/HCV case, the goals of HCV treatment are based on the individual immunological status. Some HCV patient’s ofen used Chinese tradition herbs for HCV treatment. These chinese tradition herbs for HCV treatment included milk thistle, St. John’s wort, gingko biloba, ginseng, and echinacea etc. It will be useful and helpful for patient health to understand the interaction between those Chinese tradition herbs and medicines.