Stu

By goatface7

1 min read

I was notified I had Hep C in '96. I did 18 mo. of peg-interferon before ribavirin was invented. I went from astronomical to 1 or less. Undetectable CORRECT ? Because there's no such thing as a complete cure, it's in your system for life, CORRECT ? Then, I drank a lot of beer, & my HCV RNA Quant. went up to 21.7, I reigned in my beer drinking & last I checked my HCV RNA Quant. dropped to 1.18 (just barely detectable) by now, it's gotta be 1 or less (undetectable). The question I can't get an answer to is, AM I CORRECT IN ASSUMING THAT THERE'S NO OUT AND OUT CURE ? IT'S IN YOUR SYSTEM FOR LIFE, CORRECT ? SOMEBODY KNOWLEDGEABLE PLEASE ANSWER !

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Susan Simon Member
Hi Stu, Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. You are correct that your log value of 1.18 is barely detectable. That may be a false positive as it is the lowest it can be reported as a positive. My concern would be whether it is a true positive, or not. My best suggestion would be to repeat the RNA in a month. There is definitely a complete cure for hepatitis C. Anyone who has a sustained viral response (undetected) for 6 months after completing interferon or 3 months after completing the new treatments is cured. There is less than a 1% chance that the virus will come back, called a relapse. So the RNA test should always come back undetectable after a successful treatment. What does stay positive forever, once you have the virus, even if cured, is the antibody test. However, the antibodies are not protective like they are in other viruses like measles or mumps. These HCV antibodies do not protect from getting the disease again. I hope it was a false positive for you. However, if it is a true positive, the new treatments are of short duration, with minimal side effects, and they are curing almost everyone. We at <a href='https://hepatitisc.net' target='_blank'>hepatitisc.net</a> wish you the best in 2016. Sue, Community Moderator
1. goatface7 Member
 Thank You Sue !
goatface7 Member
I have one more question. Is a SVR 1 or less for 12-24 wk.s OR is it 0 for 12-24 wk.s ? (HCV RNA Quant.)
1. goatface7 Member
 Well ?
Susan Simon Member
Stu, I am sorry but I have no idea what you are asking. If you are asking when a patient can say they have a sustained viral response (SVR), with the new direct acting antivirals, it is being undetected 12 weeks post treatment. With interferon b ased treatments it is 24 weeks post treatment. If that is not your question, please rephrase it and I will try to answer you.
1. Susan Simon Member
 Ok, I think I may understand. It depends on which PCR test is used. If the lowest level of detection is 15, like on a Taqman 2 PCR test, an SVR would be reported as <15 undetected. Sometimes the viral load falls below the lower limit of quantification, but it can still be seen, although not counted. Then it is reported <15 detected and that may or may not be a true SVR.
goatface7 Member
Thank You Susan, I will clarify when possible
kathyd Member
Hi Stu, I'm going to copy what I read on the internet: "The quantitative HCV RNA tests measure the amount of hepatitis C virus in the blood. The result will be an exact number, such as "1,215,422 IU/L." Many people refer to the quantitative measurement as the hepatitis C "viral load." Now, if You have cleared the Virus, You'll always show positive to the antibody but cured if the Viral Load shows <15 units or less, I considered that a cure. To clarify, if You were to donate your blood they test only for the antibody so You'll get a letter saying you have the virus. The Viral Load test is too expensive for the Red Cross to test all that show the antibody only. If I needed AB negative blood type, I'd be happy to have your blood as would anyone with that blood type would. The same goes for Organs like a Kidney.