About hepatitis c?!
Question: i got a friend that has hepatitis c. he has been doing the interfuron and ribavirun for almost a year now and his test says it can't find any hep c in his blood. is it possible that he can be cured cuz i know some people say yes some say no. any doctors please help
Answers: i got a friend that has hepatitis c. he has been doing the interfuron and ribavirun for almost a year now and his test says it can't find any hep c in his blood. is it possible that he can be cured cuz i know some people say yes some say no. any doctors please help
No one with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is truly considered "cured" because we aren't positive that the virus is completely gone or the viral load is so low that it is undetectable. The fact that your friend's HCV is not found is a great sign. It means that the virus is not actively replicating and the medication has helped. Retesting of the viral load is recommended every 6 months to a 1 year. Treatment is based on the genotype of the HCV. There are about 6 genotypes and several subgroups. Not all genotypes respond the same. For example genotypes 2 and 3 respond better than genotype 1. The "doctor" who responded to your question is wrong. There is such a thing as chronic hepatitis C. When a client is newly infected (less than 6 months) with HCV they are considered an "acute" case of hepatitis C. If, after 6 months, the virus is still present, they are considered chronically infected.
FYI Hepatitis B can also be a chronic infection. Make sure you are vaccinated against hepatitis B!
There is no vaccines for HCV, but the possibility is constantly being researched.
I am a registered nurse who works with viral hepatitis clients.
Ya in all probability if his tests are negative now it means he is cured. Moreover hepatitis c doesnt exhibit chronicity
Not a Doc, but in my 26th week of a 49 week treatment for
Hep C... What the Doc's are NOT finding in your friend's blood is the Hep C virus... Measured by what is called a (his/ her)"Viral Load".... The Viral Load means the amount of Virus in your blood... When I began 26 weeks ago my "baseline" was 2,325,000 parts of virus... in my body? No, in one drop of Blood... Your friend has completed his treatment and shows no viral load which means he will be re-checked in 6 months, then again in 1 year... Sounds like your friend is doing VERY well...
My Hep-C came from a simple, yet stupid tattoo 25 years ago... the only tattoo I have... about one inch in size... I call it the gift that keeps on giving...
I've been reading reading responses to Hep- C questions here on Yahoo and am amazed at the lack of knowledge people posses about Hep- C and still insist on offering true seekers of accurate information some pretty foolish answers... Like "Oh don't worry... Hep-C won't kill you..."
The facts are, 10,000 people a year die in America from complications from Hep- C.... (from Center for disease Control, Atlanta, GA) Sounds like your friend is well down recovery's road.... Please give all my best to him...