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hep c number
my doctor said my hep c number is 18 milion, so scared, what does that mean
Welcome to the forum. It is very normal to be scared when one is first diagnosed with Hepatitis C, especially if the doctor fails to explain everything to you.
As Idyllic said, 18 million is your viral load or viral count. Having a viral load means you have Hepatitis C. Unless you were infected within the past 6 months, you have what is called Chronic Hepatitis C.
About 20 percent of Hep C infected people are able to clear the Hep C virus on their own. The rest go on to develop Chronic Hepatitis C.
You probably had no symptoms when you had Acute Hep C. Most people do not have symptoms when they have Acute Hep C. With Chronic Hep C, you may have no symptoms or you may have some symptoms, especially fatigue. If you have some of the extrahepatic manifestations of Hep C then you may have other symptoms. In addition, if you have liver damage, you may have symptoms related to that.
Do not let the 18 million viral count alarm you. It sounds high but many of us had viral loads in the millions. Mine was 14.4 million. Some had viral loads of 20 mil, 30, mil, 40 mil, 50 mil, and higher and are now cured. I was cured two years ago.
In addition, the viral load fluctuates daily. It may be high one day and lower the next. The viral count matters most when one is on treatment because it lets one know if the treatment is working or not.
You will need a referral to a knowledgeable and competent Gastroenterologist or Hepatologist for treatment. You will need to have a Genotype done so that you know which type of Hep C you have. The Genotype determines which treatment you will need. You will need other baseline lab work done. You will also need a liver biopsy or some other tests done to determine what your liver fibrosis stage is.
There are several new treatments out and they have high cure rates. More new treatments should be out by the end of the year or the beginning of 2015. Those also have high cure rates. So by the time you get all of your tests done and see the specialist, you will probably be able to treat and get rid of the Hep C.
Here is a link to a site that will tell you a little more about Hep C.
http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/hepatitis-c/what-is-hepatitis-c.html?src=diagnosed
(There are more new treatments than are listed at that site.)
Best of luck.
As Idyllic said, 18 million is your viral load or viral count. Having a viral load means you have Hepatitis C. Unless you were infected within the past 6 months, you have what is called Chronic Hepatitis C.
About 20 percent of Hep C infected people are able to clear the Hep C virus on their own. The rest go on to develop Chronic Hepatitis C.
You probably had no symptoms when you had Acute Hep C. Most people do not have symptoms when they have Acute Hep C. With Chronic Hep C, you may have no symptoms or you may have some symptoms, especially fatigue. If you have some of the extrahepatic manifestations of Hep C then you may have other symptoms. In addition, if you have liver damage, you may have symptoms related to that.
Do not let the 18 million viral count alarm you. It sounds high but many of us had viral loads in the millions. Mine was 14.4 million. Some had viral loads of 20 mil, 30, mil, 40 mil, 50 mil, and higher and are now cured. I was cured two years ago.
In addition, the viral load fluctuates daily. It may be high one day and lower the next. The viral count matters most when one is on treatment because it lets one know if the treatment is working or not.
You will need a referral to a knowledgeable and competent Gastroenterologist or Hepatologist for treatment. You will need to have a Genotype done so that you know which type of Hep C you have. The Genotype determines which treatment you will need. You will need other baseline lab work done. You will also need a liver biopsy or some other tests done to determine what your liver fibrosis stage is.
There are several new treatments out and they have high cure rates. More new treatments should be out by the end of the year or the beginning of 2015. Those also have high cure rates. So by the time you get all of your tests done and see the specialist, you will probably be able to treat and get rid of the Hep C.
Here is a link to a site that will tell you a little more about Hep C.
http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/hepatitis-c/what-is-hepatitis-c.html?src=diagnosed
(There are more new treatments than are listed at that site.)
Best of luck.
jayleenngg, I assume you got a "Hep C RNA QNT by PCR" blood test? Also called "Hep C Quantitiation". This simply counts the number of viral particles in your blood. 18 million indicates you are in the acute phase of the infection, and you must be feeling quite ill, I am sorry. I can give you some hope, I think: All of the major Pharma companies ( Merck, Gilead, etc...) are in Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of a new generation of Hep C drugs. These, if the numbers hold up over time, mean you will have a 97%+ chance of totally eradicating the virus. Regardless even if you have had it long enough to develop cirrhosis. So please don't let it bring you down emotionally. Battle the physical symptoms as best as you can, and know that hope is coming for you in a big way in the next few years. Don't let the huge price tags ( $1K per pill) reports bother you, once there are a number of these drugs on the market, it will drive the price down. Insurance companies, including Medicare, will increase the pressure to reduce the price of treatment to a reasonable level. Well over 3 million people in the US have Hep C, including you and me. Hang in there, help is rounding third and heading for home. Mac790
Another way to get an idea of where you are in the disease process is with a FibroSure blood test. It's best for those who are at risk with a biopsy and need to begin treatment.
http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/91402
http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/91402
Shame on that doctor for not giving you a context for all this (?!)
18 million is your viral load. Your viral load does not mean all that much unless you are treating. Then it is a good indicator as to how you are responding to the medication. Your viral load may fluctuate over time and is in no way an indicator of how advanced your fibrosis is.
There are several different ways to get an estimate of where you are in the disease process. By that I mean different kinds of measures of fibrosis. One is a biopsy and another is noninvasive called a fibroscan.
Lastly if your doctor has not done so already you really need to know your genotype. Ask for a copy of your labs and see if it is on there.
18 million is your viral load. Your viral load does not mean all that much unless you are treating. Then it is a good indicator as to how you are responding to the medication. Your viral load may fluctuate over time and is in no way an indicator of how advanced your fibrosis is.
There are several different ways to get an estimate of where you are in the disease process. By that I mean different kinds of measures of fibrosis. One is a biopsy and another is noninvasive called a fibroscan.
Lastly if your doctor has not done so already you really need to know your genotype. Ask for a copy of your labs and see if it is on there.
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