WHEN DO THEY CALL IT CURED?

[Guest guest]

WHEN DO THEY CALL IT "CURED"?

As you can see this is interpretive, but most doctors will agree that HCV replication in the blood is very likely and it's a matter of numbers (pcr) a lot of the time. Because the TX's are relatively new, there aren't the benchmarks many other diseases have in terms of length of time a person stays at SVR. As long as there is one cell carrying the virus, then it can replicate.

NEVER? Bruce R. Bacon, M.D. Professor of Internal Medicine Director, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Saint Louis University School of Medicine Saint Louis, Missouri Is Hepatitis C Incurable? August 14, 2000 It is chronic, but "cure"; is a very powerful and controversial word. If we treat patients successfully for 6 to 12 months, such that a very sensitive testing shows no evidence of the hepatitis C virus in the blood, their liver disease improves and scar tissue gradually goes away, these patients have improved significantly. If they remain virus free after six months off treatment, we say they are having a "sustained response;." Studies have shown that more than 95 percent of patients who are virus free for six months off treatment will be virus free five years later. This is a ""durable response rate." This is successful treatment of hepatitis C. Are these people cured or not? This is the way I can answer that question. Patients generally relapse within six months of being off treatment if they are going to relapse at all. They very rarely relapse any later than six months off treatment. When there is no longer evidence of the virus in the blood during treatment, there can be two interpretations. One is that the medications that we're giving, usually interferon and ribavirin, have successfully eliminated or killed the virus. The other is that the virus has been suppressed to lower than detectable levels. The way we determine the difference between those two is that a virus that has been suppressed by treatment will come right back when treatment ends; the patient has a relapse, usually within the first six months. On the other hand, a virus that actually has been eliminated or killed will not return and the patient will continue to test negative. Occasionally the virus is still present in white blood cells. It's unclear if those are viable viral particles that can come back many years later. We just don't know because we haven't had the opportunity to follow patients long enough. http://www.healthcentral.com/BestDoctors/BestDoctorsFullText.cfm Editors note: EXPECT A MIRACLE

Be good to yourself,LizSome day's you're the dog, and some days you're the hydrantAttitude determines altitude. - unknown

[Guest guest]

LIZ:

Thank You. It may not make any long term difference, but my doctor might have spent some time explaining this info. Oh damn what was I thinking. Mike

[Guest guest]

Mike,

That's why we educate our doctors. They need a kick in the rear most of the time. And they think we won't understand. How dare they!

LizWhen I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "compared to what?" - Sydney J.