Aa
Hepatitis Researcher
HR,
I've never spoken with you before but have heard so many good things about you. Thank you for helping us. You reponded to Kittyface regarding high serum ferritin levels and your explaination was very interesting. I was diagnosed with PCT prior to starting tx in March and had a series of phlebotomies to reduce ferritin level of 783. I was told that high ferritin levels can effect the chances or reaching SVR because the virus uses the iron to replicate and mutate. My bx indicated I had no excessive iron storage. Treating the PCR was necessary because it can cause liver damage and or liver cancer over time but do you agree that one should reduce high ferritin levels prior to tx?
Trinity
I've never spoken with you before but have heard so many good things about you. Thank you for helping us. You reponded to Kittyface regarding high serum ferritin levels and your explaination was very interesting. I was diagnosed with PCT prior to starting tx in March and had a series of phlebotomies to reduce ferritin level of 783. I was told that high ferritin levels can effect the chances or reaching SVR because the virus uses the iron to replicate and mutate. My bx indicated I had no excessive iron storage. Treating the PCR was necessary because it can cause liver damage and or liver cancer over time but do you agree that one should reduce high ferritin levels prior to tx?
Trinity
Thanks, Jim - I'm glad I did it regardless, cause the PCT was not going to go away until I reduced the ferritin. To my delight, I've had no symptoms of PCT since the phlebotomy sessions and iron has remained within normal range. I thought for sure I'd end up anemia on tx but HGB, RBC all good so far. Without viewing the site you posted my opinion has always been high iron is not something we want prior to starting tx. I'm sure I will see that confirmed by that site.
Trinity
Trinity
More on the benefits of reducing iron through phelebotomy:
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2007/11/phlebotomy_gain.html
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2007/11/phlebotomy_gain.html
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Normally iron stores in the body are tightly controlled and absorption of iron is limited once proper reserves are build up. In hemochromatosis, excessive iron is stored in the liver and leads to chronic inflammation, even cirrhosis over time.
But ferritin levels can simply be high because of inflammatory turnover of liver cells, releasing too much ferritin. In this case reducing ferritin levels by phelebotomy makes less sense, except that it was shown that lowering iron levels - in the liver- seems to enhance treatment success somewhat - (but I do not have a citation on hand). Thus getting ferritin levels at least into normal range by careful phlebotomies might benefit SVR chances.
But ferritin levels can simply be high because of inflammatory turnover of liver cells, releasing too much ferritin. In this case reducing ferritin levels by phelebotomy makes less sense, except that it was shown that lowering iron levels - in the liver- seems to enhance treatment success somewhat - (but I do not have a citation on hand). Thus getting ferritin levels at least into normal range by careful phlebotomies might benefit SVR chances.
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