Iron

I'm seeing more articles like this:
About 30 percent of people with hepatitis C have very high iron levels. Reduction of serum iron has been shown to normalize liver enzyme levels, which are elevated during periods of active liver damage (Fong TL et al 1998). Iron depletion therapy has also been shown to improve the response to conventional medicines used to treat hepatitis (Fargion S et al 1997). The only effective way to decrease serum iron is to have an iron loss, as occurs when donating blood. Hepatitis C patients cannot donate blood for common use, but their blood can still be removed, although it must be discarded.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/infections/hepatitis_c_01.htm

[pcds]

Thanks for the article.  I found out about iron here, not from my MD. I don't think you can do iron depletion while in treatment it would remove the meds.  But it is another piece of information.  Another barometer of liver health that we all need to look at as our liver recovers post treatment, or as a marker of how our liver is doing.

[RobertBeWell]

Typically, if a patient has high iron levels, they will prescribe phlebotomy for a period of time BEFORE starting treatment to get the levels normal. For people with iron overload, this is a pretty common procedure. Once levels are normal, treatment can begin.

I just recently went through this issue, having been recently diagnosed. My iron levels, along with ferritin, were quite high. It turns out I was taking an iron supplement vitamin, as well as eating iron fortified cereal on a regular basis. Once I stopped ingesting these things, my iron level slowly dropped to normal.

Thanks for the link. Iron levels are ESPECIALLY important to us as Hep C patients, because too much iron greatly accelerates organ damage (high iron = lots of free radicals), not only in the liver, but other organs like the kidneys.

For me, the solution was to check what I eat carefully. Now I always glance at the label on foods to see if there is any additional iron added. If so, I buy something else.

Thanks for the link.

[pcds]

Another great tip.  I recently started eating a healthy breakfast cereal and now look that it has added iron.  Into to garbage it goes.

[RobertBeWell]

I need to mention too, that men need much less iron than pre-menopausal women. So, really, you need to make sure that you do in fact have enough iron before you throw out the cereal :-)

I'd check with your doc and ask for an iron study if you believe things are out of whack.

[pcds]

My iron was high pre tx, not terrible.  I am post menopause.  Bought some new cereal today, 10% iron. I'll mix it with the old  until it's gone.  Hard to find healthy low sugar cereal.  I have a taste for it these days. Cool milk suits my mouth on tx.

[RobertBeWell]

Heh, from your picture, I never would have guessed you were post ;-D

So, yes, the 10% is fine. I find most of the "health" cereals (Kashi, etc) are all less than 10%, many down around 6%.

I was eating the stuff like crazy... two to three bowls a day, and two servings in a bowl. Yep, I do tend to do everything to extremes. Good thing I'm getting better as I get older!