Hep C or Autoimmune chronic hep?

I am completely obsessed with this new diagnosis.  I guess it is normal.  The doctor said I tested positive for Hep C and is running tests to confirm.  But my question is could Hep C look like Autoimmune chronic hep?  What is the difference?  Is one worse than the other?  What is Autoimmune chronic hep?  I found a site that said:

"Autoimmune chronic hepatitis accounts for about 20% of all chronic hepatitis cases. Like other autoimmune disorders, this condition develops because a genetically defective immune system attacks the body's own cells and organs, in this case, the liver, after being triggered by an environmental agent, probably a virus. Suspects include the measles virus, a hepatitis virus, or the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis. It is also possible that a reaction to a drug or other toxin that affects the liver also triggers an autoimmune response in susceptible individuals. In about 30% of cases, autoimmune hepatitis is associated with other disorders that involve autoimmune attacks on other parts of the body"

I had mono in 1992 with secondary hepatitis.  BUT I also had a blood transfusion in 1999 and I found several sites that said after 2001 chances in getting hep C through a trasfusion are 1 in 1,000,000 per units of blood.

I'm going to the doctor Wednesday and can ask the doctor then, but you guys are so helpful and I'm going insane with worry.  I just want a correct diagnosis.

[Kalio1]

They are different diseases, one is caused by a virus ( Hep C) and the other is caused by a genetic defect in your immune system. Yes, there are specific tests to determine if you have AIH, just as there is a specific test to see if a person is postiive for Hep C.
With a diagosis of AIH I believe you are then ineligible for Interferon treatment as the two don't mix. I know hardly anything else about AIH other than it is controllable if caught early. Doctors can definately tell the difference, it isn't like they can mistake a Hep C pos. diagnosis with AIH. They are two different diseases.

[SouthernSunshine]

Ha!  I think I'm just grasping at straws here!  I keep praying there is some kind of mistake and looking for other excuse/reasons/diagnosis.  Maybe I should just stay away from the computer and wait until Wednesday when I can talk to the doctor...but it is so hard when I can't sleep at night from the worries!

[SouthernSunshine]

Ha!  I think I'm just grasping at straws here!  I keep praying there is some kind of mistake and looking for other excuse/reasons/diagnosis.  Maybe I should just stay away from the computer and wait until Wednesday when I can talk to the doctor...but it is so hard when I can't sleep at night from the worries!

[tulsatime]

be sure to read my last post to you on the other thread about hep b. take care

[iceboy]

Hello sunshine.

I would probably have lived happily without knowing I had hepc until I died of something else. I have had this for 24 years and have no damage to the liver, but getting diagnosed (a year ago) changed my life and the way I think (to the better I think)

It is mindblasting to go through the initial reactions when we are told we have this, but a big part of that is because it is considered by some as a tabu illness to have. Remember that is only because of peoples ignorance and poor education about this illness.

When the nurse called that broke the news to me I got very upset (it was a very misterious phone call I got) and because of my  bad reaction she got a doctor to call me to comfort me. One of the first things the doctor said to me was - so do you have AIDS as well? At that point I broke down sobbing - and asked if I tested positive for HIV, and the doc said she would check and get back to me. She called back the day after saying no, I hadn

[Kalio1]

I hear you, it is very hard to accept. I went thru that too, I just could not believe this had happened to ME. I knew next to nothing about Hep C before I got it, I (sadly)and mistakenly thought you could ONLY get Hep C if you were an ex drug user or IV drug user, so I thought it would be impossible to get it otherwise. I was SURE the doctor was wrong! He humored me and reran the test. Of course the first test was right.
You can go crazy trying to diagose yourself on the internet, there are so many sicknesses out there it boggles the mind! You don't need a case of "med school malaria" which is what they say happens to medical students, they begin to think they are having symptoms of the diseases they are studying. A similar thing can happen if you do too much "research" on the net trying to diagnose yourself.
It changes your life the day you find out, this is just your way of processing that info. I think a lot of us go through that phase. It is like the "stages of grief" we hear about and the first phase is DENIAL, then ANGER, then ACCEPTANCE.
Hang in there, it DOES get easier to accept as time goes on.

One other thing, if you are not experiencing Hep C related symptoms it is even harder to accept having this disease. It flies in the face of logic that our livers can be in crisis yet we FEEL and LOOK fine. That keeps a lot of people from facing it and managing this disease with their eyes open I think.
For me it was easier, I was so dang sick I wanted a solution and answers, so at least I got answers, I just wasn't at all happy with them!

[NYgirl]

Said:  Ha! I think I'm just grasping at straws here! I keep praying there is some kind of mistake and looking for other excuse/reasons/diagnosis.



We all felt sort of like that in the beginning...but then during treatment you realize how LUCKY you are that although you have a disease it's NOT going to kill you in three weeks, it's NOT going to cause you to have radiation therapy etc. etc. etc.

While this treatment really isn't any fun, for most people it's completely DOABLE.  And we have a GREAT chance at a cure!  When you say I have a 50 - 50 chance compared to the chance of say pancreatic cancer...it makess you realize how lucky you are...if you had to use up your "I have a disease" card - it's an AWFULLY GOOD ONE TO HAVE!   :)

I know you think I'm crazy now but wait...after 40 weeks of treatment (out of 72) I wouldn't lie.

[SouthernSunshine]

Thank God it wasn't AIDS, huh?  They are running that test on me, too, as a precaution.  I am not worried.  HVC just has such a negative connotation.  I'm embarrassed when I have no reason to be.  I am so thankful that I found this group!!

[friole]

Welcome to the forum.  We have all had to learn how to deal with our diagnosis of hepatitis C and it is a learning experience.  I say thank goodness for the internet.  When I first found out I had hep C antibodies in 1992 there was no internet -- or I was not internet savy.  I went to the library, but really never found much.  I think the internet is helping us all to understand more about our disease and how to treat it.
You have probably tested positive for the hep C antibodies.  THe next test to be run is to determine if you have active hep C -- this test will detrmine the amount of virons per ml of blood.  A certain amount of people clear the virus naturally, so you still may not have an active case.  Good luck with the next round of tests.

[woodchuckpants2002]

To answer your question, I have AIH and frequently low level blood tests for Hep C come back positive.  To ensure you do not have HepC make sure you get a DNA test like RIBA or Quan Ultra.

Hope this helps...

[woodchuckpants2002]

To respond to your question on what is AIH...

AIH is basically your immune system attacking your liver.  Typically, it is supressed with steroids such as Prednisone (initially) or Immuran, which suppress your Immune system enough to
nullify the effects of the condition.

For me personally, I was initially diagnosed after a screening for Accutane when the docs saw my off the chart ALT (Liver Function tests)  I have only had minor symptoms when first undiagnosed which included achy bones.  After initial treatment with Prednisone and then switching to Imuran (Azathioprine), I have been symptom free since 2002.

To answer your question as to which would be easier to live with, I would imagine that as long as you respond to the meds favorably AIH is probably slightly better, as it is in no way transmittable to a third party.  The key again is to catch it early and to religously take your meds...

[slowsouthernstyle]

"And we have a GREAT chance at a cure! When you say I have a 50 - 50 chance compared to the chance of say pancreatic cancer...it makess you realize how lucky you are...if you had to use up your "I have a disease" card - it's an AWFULLY GOOD ONE TO HAVE! :)"

is this person for real? I hope there is nobody that comes here that has cancer of the pancreas I hope they realize the person that made this statement suffers from severe ignorance

slow