poofitsgone's Status Updates

Hi Poofitsgone, thanks for posting and letting us know how you're doing. What has you feeling confused? Let us know–the hepatitisc.net community is here for you and will help out as we can. Warmly, Matt (HepatititsC.net, Team Member)

Most sites are for patients in treatment or seeking for treatment. I am looking for info from those, like myself that have been treated and recovered. Are there any resources that your aware of?

Hi Poofitsgone, we do have resources for life after hep C! We have this article hub on long-term side effects after treatment, as well as a variety of other content. Let me know what questions you have or what you want to learn more about and I am happy to provide additional resources from across our community. Be well, Matt (Team Member, HepatitisC.net)

Hey 'poofitsgone.' If you could specify exactly what kind of post-treatment information you are looking for I may be able to find some resources for you.
Unfortunately, other than the HCV community like this one, there hasn't been much speculation and research into the post-cure effects and symptoms experienced by those who have been cured of HCV.
Let me know what you're looking for and I may be able to point you to some resources.
This website also is a fabulous resource for learning about others experiences post-cure: everything from extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C, to the emotional/psychological issues that come up post treatment.

"I was recently diagnosed with heart failure. My heart is only working at 10%. I cleared Hep C 6 years ago. A family member is spreading the news and telling others i got it from the hep C. Is anyone out there dealing with heart issues after treatment? Is this possibly true?

poofitsgone, I'm sharing more information below and curious what Emma will weigh in to share. We do recommend that you speak with your doctor if you are concerned about heart failure and its causes. Looking online, I found a couple studies that do discuss a connection between hep C and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The one study is from 2017 and states, "Our review showed that HCV infection, particularly chronic HCV infection, appears to lead to increased subclinical CVD most consistently and potentially also to increased clinical CVD outcomes, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the majority of studies evaluating the impact of HCV therapy on CVD morbidity and mortality showed an improvement in subclinical and clinical CVD endpoints in patients who were successfully treated and achieved sustained viral suppression." You can read more here.

The second study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, did find a link between hepatitis C and CVD too.

I couldn't find much information on the connection between direct acting antiviral medication and heart health, though I did find this study from Gastroenterology. In the conclusions, the researchers state that they found patients treated with DAAs and who were cured had lower risks for CVD events than patients not cured. I hope this is helpful–let us know what other questions you have! -Matt (Community Manager)

Thank you, I have also discovered that the cause of most CHF patients with cardiomyopathy as a cause is usually inherited. Although the hep C virus can cause damage to the heart if it is chronic and not treated at all. As far as studies from the meds used that's a whole new ballgame. As we know the side effects of many meds can cause more issues than we ever want to know or read about. My provider very clearly explained to me that my CHF was more than like due to my genes. And if it was a virus it would more than likely be from Covid, than from my cleared dx of hep C. Active viruses are causes of many heart problems and other organs to disease and fail. Treatment is ever so important. So many other problems can stem from untreated hep C.

Thank you for sharing. There are several causes for cardiomyopathy such as viral infections. In other cases, another disease or its treatment causes cardiomyopathy, which may include congenital heart disease, nutrition deficiencies, fast arrhythmias or certain types of chemotherapy for cancer. In my case, it was due to congenital heart disease, which led to liver fibrosis and the early stages of kidney failure. However, I didn’t have Hep C from blood transfusions or intravenous drug usage, but instead, I willingly decided to accept a Hep C organ to save my life. I definitely agree with you that treatment is extremely important, as well as, consulting a doctor for any type of medical treatment to help improve one’s health. (Leslie, Community Moderator)