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Are there any benefits to taking treatment besides SVR?
Are there any potential benefits to taking treatment beside SVR? Because I have stage 4 cirrhosis, as a genotype 3 my chances of SVR are less, perhaps 50% at best.
The nurse at the liver clinic says treatment will give my liver a rest, so there will be some healing. But I've read that the viral load and AST and ALT are very high for some weeks after a relapse, so there is more damage being done to the liver at that time, and this counters the benefits of giving the liver a rest.
There are drugs which I've had to take during treatment which slightly damage liver tissue: antibiotics and antihistamines. Even Interferon and ribiviron can damage the liver. Also, I keep reading here and elsewhere that for many people there are lingering negative effects years after treatment. Plus there is the lower quality of life and stress during treatment, cost of the drugs and loss of time and/or productivity at work.
The one other benefit of treatment I can think of is the weight loss for overweight people, which can be good for the heart and reduce high blood pressure. The nurse at the liver clinic says I'll lose only muscle not fat so it's not really a benefit, but she's wrong. Now into my 14th week, I've already lost a roll of fat of my stomach.
Anybody know of any other benefits of treatment?
The nurse at the liver clinic says treatment will give my liver a rest, so there will be some healing. But I've read that the viral load and AST and ALT are very high for some weeks after a relapse, so there is more damage being done to the liver at that time, and this counters the benefits of giving the liver a rest.
There are drugs which I've had to take during treatment which slightly damage liver tissue: antibiotics and antihistamines. Even Interferon and ribiviron can damage the liver. Also, I keep reading here and elsewhere that for many people there are lingering negative effects years after treatment. Plus there is the lower quality of life and stress during treatment, cost of the drugs and loss of time and/or productivity at work.
The one other benefit of treatment I can think of is the weight loss for overweight people, which can be good for the heart and reduce high blood pressure. The nurse at the liver clinic says I'll lose only muscle not fat so it's not really a benefit, but she's wrong. Now into my 14th week, I've already lost a roll of fat of my stomach.
Anybody know of any other benefits of treatment?
Yes Hector is spot on with advice, theres no reason for people to sugar coat things here as were all adults and well the facts are what they are. Its better knowing up front and dealing with it then to live in a fanasty world thinking things that are not true.
"Although Hector certainly doesn't need any defending, it is my understanding that he is now experiencing ESLD and is awaiting a liver transplant. He is just telling it like it is, giving you this information for your own good, not trying to scare you."
Okay, I didn't know that he's at ESLD, that explains it.
Okay, I didn't know that he's at ESLD, that explains it.
Jim is not a good example to use for someone that cirrhosis has set in. As he says he was stage 3 to maybe stage 4. A huge difference then us long term cirrhotics.
"Just wanted to add, being I have cirrhosis and 2 years SVR I still have to go get screened for liver cancer twice a year as well as every other cirrhotic person. Now why if our livers reverse back even a couple of stages? People with no damage or even stage 3 doesn't have to."
Perhaps within another couple of years it will reverse back.
The cirrhosis improving after successful treatment may depend on other factors, such as alcohol consumption, diet, etc. (of course, many alcoholics who do not have Hep C have cirrhosis).
I think the people who go to a better stage after SVR must be living a healthy lifestyle (eating right and avoiding alcohol).
However, at stage 4 I can't imagine going back to stage 1, although stage 3 is possible.
Perhaps within another couple of years it will reverse back.
The cirrhosis improving after successful treatment may depend on other factors, such as alcohol consumption, diet, etc. (of course, many alcoholics who do not have Hep C have cirrhosis).
I think the people who go to a better stage after SVR must be living a healthy lifestyle (eating right and avoiding alcohol).
However, at stage 4 I can't imagine going back to stage 1, although stage 3 is possible.
They had trials to see if maintenance therapy would help once someone was und, did it do any good and help reverse the damage? The answer is no. If your was healing after only 6 months of treatment being und then a low dose maintenance for a couple years would have worked wonders.
Although Hector certainly doesn't need any defending, it is my understanding that he is now experiencing ESLD and is awaiting a liver transplant. He is just telling it like it is, giving you this information for your own good, not trying to scare you. When Hector posts a response, I read carefully, since his advice is usually very thorough and spot on. There are many knowledgable members on this forum that I hold in very high regard, and Hector is at the top of my list.
Hope your tx goes well and you visit this forum often.
Hope your tx goes well and you visit this forum often.
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Here is a quote from the tail end of the link;
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http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc082747
"Although Koretz and Gluud contend that decompensated cirrhosis will never develop in most untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C, in our study, progression occurred in an alarming one third of patients with advanced fibrosis who were followed for 3.5 years.
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As is often the case w/ HCV, there is not always crystal clarity on what we can expect, but if the quote is true (I've no reason to doubt it) it is one of those little nuggets that helps us put things in perspective.
I will also add, it appears that one might easily confuse the "benefits" of treating.
Hectors point was that unless one clears the virus, (as evidenced in the HALT-C study) there is little stage regression benefit, or other methods by which benefit was measured.
It is an entirely different issue watching people who have cleared have their damage regress (such as jmjm was mentioned). Maybe I was the only one who may have miscontrued the original question about benefit due to TX, not exclusively benefit from treating only if one SVR's.
Frankly, I think we all change with time due to aging, we may improve diet or stop smoking or take up exercise as we get older or sicker, and so I think some things could get better.... but....changes would be hard to prove.
The opposite is also true, with TX many people become less active and some of the results of TX could be in part due to becoming more sedentary for an extended period. A doctor friend of mine tells me that for every day one is in bed, it takes a 7 to recuperate. When one is sick or anemic or on medical leave for some time it could contribute to some of the issues post TX. Naturally, one would blame the treatment, but it could be due not from the cause of drugs, more the effects of a more sedentary life for an extended period.
Slightly back to the original question, but the benefits? If one were to SVR it could head off contracting some other extra-hepatic issues that are "associated" with having HCV. There is a list of them; inflamatory issues, immune issues and depression/ brain fog issues are also often associated with HCV.
I thought I would throw a little into the mix.
willy