Arthritis or HepC?

[bre50]

I had TX.for 48 weeks, it ended last Nov. VL about 400,000. I am having debilitating joint pain from neck to knees. I had pain before TX now it is so much worse with pain eve, in my thumbs, shoulder etc. anyone have an idea?

[fretboard]

I have a similiar situation going on, but I haven't been tx'ed yet.  I have excruciating pain in my upper neck and back area which has been diagnosed as advanced osteoarthritis.   As I fall into a similiar category as you're in I often read about it, if you go and google pubmed and you type in hepatitis c (and) arthritis several articles will come up.  Be sure to use the parens in your search.  Here's one of the articles that I came across, since tx for HepC is within it's first 18 years or so, there are situations and questions that unfortunately have not yet been answered.  The article may not relate to your specific situation, so like I said you can go to pubmed, it's a library database full of trials and a whole lot more.  You really need to speak to your doctor about this, I've read that after tx some ppl don't feel as much pain as compared to pre-tx.  It would be wise to find out if you do in fact have a form of arthritis.  In your case it seems like it's gotten terribly worse, I feel for you as I relate to your pain, but I have arthritis for certain, it shows in x-rays.  Good luck with your dx and further tx plan for your pain.  God Bless

Arthritis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

1. Rivera J, García-Monforte A, Pineda A, Millán Núñez-Cortés J.
Instituto Provincial de Rehabilitación, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain. ***@****

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical picture of arthritis in patients with chronic infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS: Two patient populations were studied. Patients with arthritis and evidence of serum elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at the consultation were checked for HCV infection. A second group of 303 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were also checked for the presence of HCV antibodies. All patients attended the outpatient rheumatology unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Chronic HCV infection was determined by the presence of viral RNA in serum. A group of 315 first-time blood donors served as controls. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients with arthritis and chronic HCV infection were identified. Seven fulfilled criteria for RA, psoriatic arthritis was found in one patient, systemic lupus erythematosus in one, gout in 2, chondrocalcinosis in 2, osteoarthritis in 7, and tenosynovitis in one. In 7 patients with a clinical picture of intermittent arthritis, a definitive diagnosis could not be made. In these patients, mixed cryoglobulinemia was present in 6/7 (86%), whereas mixed cryoglobulinemia was found in 6/21 (28%) of the other patients. Among patients with RA, 23 (7.6%) had HCV antibodies, and active infection by HCV was found in 7 (2.3%) patients. The prevalence of HCV antibodies in a blood donor population was 0.95%, significantly different (p<0.001; 95% CI 0.03, 0.10) compared to patients with RA. The distribution of antibodies determined by recombinant immunoblot analysis was similar (p = NS) between RA patients and blood donors with HCV antibodies. CONCLUSION: There is not a single clinical picture of arthritis in patients with chronic HCV infection. There is a well defined picture of arthritis associated with the presence of mixed cryoglobulinemia that consists of an intermittent, mono or oligoarticular, nondestructive arthritis affecting large and medium size joints. Although a high prevalence of HCV antibodies is suspected in patients with RA, its occurrence may be coincidental and its interpretation is difficult to determine from the data in this study.
PMID: 9972979 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[cindy206]

my name is cindou206,
i found out two tears ago i have hepc and im stage 3 and 1a. i tried pegiinterferon. and it didnt not work. Now im haveing very sore joints and museles.

[bre50]

Thank you so much for the info. I have been thinking about consulting a Rheumotologist for a coulple of weeks now. Have a great day!
Bre

[bre50]

Hi mary,
Yes I had a VL of 2,500,000 and biopsy results were positive for fibrosis stage 2 and gen.Type 1b. I did manage to bring VL down quite a bit. The TX was difficult, however worth it! There was a huge possibility for success. I am just trying to understand more about this Hep C. I try to push it to the back of my mind and then it just pops back up at one point ot another. I am good though.
Bre

[Mary4now]

Bre50, Do you have your stats on your Hep C, like your biopsy results, your blood results, genotype?
I have not treated yet, but I've been looking at these and other posts since I was diagnosed in Dec 2007 and it seems that the meds to treat Hep C, can have alot of side effects and that may be what your experiencing, and it takes time for the drugs to clear the system.  
What does your doctor say? Is your doctor a Hepatologist?
Best wishes going your way,  M4now

[Willy50]

Bre, autoimmune disorders such as arthritis following TX can be an unfortunate side from treatment.  You should get back with your physician or connect with a rhumatologist.  I personally believe that arthritis is not well understood and that the sides of TX are also not well understood.  For this reason it may be better to try to search out a specialist.  You could end up getting a better DX or better care.  It is my understanding that it's important to treat such auto immune disorders since the damage can be progressive and permanent.  So....if it is an auto immune disorder you could find yourself on a treatment which could arrest the damage and mitigate the pain.  Understand, this is just one possibility, not a diagnosis.  You might also choose some "key words" and use the search engine of this forum or google.  There should be quite a few threads here and people who you can connect with once you get a better idea of what's going on.

Ebuidy, speaking of search or google...... extreme thirst is a common symptom of diabetes.  I would urge you to visit a dr and get it checked out.  Diabetes has a strong association with HCV infection.  We have a greater likelihood a diabetes occurence that those uninfected with HCV.  It's very important; get it checked out.  I actually think it's something that all heppers should do at least once whether they are positive or have cleared.  Check it out and good luck.

best,
Willy

[ebuidy]

i have a desk job so i'm familiar with pains in my back, shoulder blade, carpal tunnel, etc. even before tx started. however, after tx started those pains have really intensified to a point i figured i must do something about it.

perhaps others can expand on the benefits of massage, stretching, and yoga. for me tho i've not been dedicated enough about these activities to experience the benefits. so far the relief is only temporary & the pains return the next day if not just a few hours later.

what helps for me is to drink plenty of water & over time, built up a high "tolerance". i'm not sure whether if it's one of the side effects anyways but after tx started, i often feel extreme thirst, especially in the mornings. the sensation of feeling completely hydrated has a strange effect to keep the joint/muscle pain at bay. the only downside to drinking water is frequent restroom stops, even in the middle of the night.

deep breathing also helps for me. it seems like a silly thing to say but i find that i frequently have to "remind" myself to breath. when i forget to and return to my usual, shallow breaths, the pain "accumulates" to a point i become irritable and grumpy. but once i do remember to breath deeply, it feels like i can "breath the pain away".

for sure tho, i feel the aches a lot less on the days i do remember to drink plenty water and to breath deeply than on the days it gets crazy at the office and i forget to. i came across numerous posts rgd positive changes in lifestyles & i think this is definitely it for me. i enjoy drinking water and deep breathing so much nowadays i think i will definitely continue doing so even after the tx ends.

hope this helps!