kidney?

Anyone ever have kidney infections or other kidney problems related to hep C?  I have hep C....no treatment yet, but I have lots of sharp pain in my midright back about where the kidney shold be (I think).

Maybe it is unrelated.  Just seems strange it has come at the same time I am dealing with this hep C issue.

[alagirl]

there are many studies showing that those infected chronically with hepc have a MUCH higher rate of renal insufficiency and other renal issues.

I think that there are many extra-hepatic issues suffered by those with hepc and for some reason we don't seem to talk about them here very often.  Here are just the first three of a plethora of articles on the topic.  This is THE reason I am so pro treatment.  I don't see Hepc as a liver disease.  I see it as a virus of the blood.  I don't even think that the liver is necessarily always the first or the worst organ affected.

Part of the problem, I think, is that many people don't realize when they're infected, so they may not attribute many of the issues that are extra-hepatic and due to the hepc virus as what they really are.  

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10190385

1: Am J Med. 1999 Mar;106(3):347-54.
Renal manifestations of hepatitis C infection.Daghestani L, Pomeroy C.
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Hepatitis C is an important cause of renal disease, and renal complications may be the presenting manifestation of hepatitis C infection. About half of patients present with evidence of renal insufficiency, and up to one quarter present with nephrotic syndrome. Others present with proteinuria or evidence of diminished renal function. The pathogenesis of hepatitis C-associated renal disease remains incompletely defined, but most evidence suggests that glomerular injury results from deposition of circulating immune complexes in the subendothelium and mesangium. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, with or without cryoglobulinemia, is the most common renal lesion. Interferon alpha-2b is currently the treatment of choice. However, success is limited, with many patients failing to respond or suffering relapse upon discontinuation of therapy. Studies of newer treatment modalities, such as longer courses of interferon or the use of ribavirin or immunosuppressive agents, are underway. Hepatitis C-associated renal disease may progress to end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis in about 10% of patients.

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2003/02_03/bandi.htm

Renal manifestations of hepatitis C virus infection
Extrahepatic complications often are silent--and thus overlooked
Lalitha Bandi, MD, MBBS
VOL 113 / NO 2 / FEBRUARY 2003 / POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE
Although renal involvement is common in hepatitis C, its lack of clinical manifestations means it goes undiagnosed in the majority of patients. Renal involvement can occur early in the course of the disease and occasionally is the presenting symptom of HCV infection. Cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis is diagnosed between the fifth and sixth decades of life in most patients, and it occurs slightly more often in women than in men (5). Only about 20% of patients with cryoglobulinemia have physical signs of liver disease at the time of presentation, but the majority of patients (about 70%) have mildly elevated aminotransferase levels and evidence of liver involvement on biopsy (9).

http://www.ccjm.org/PDFFILES/Appel5_07.pdf
CLEVELAND CLINIC JOURNAL OF MEDICINE VOLUME 74 • NUMBER 5 MAY 2007
GERALD APPEL, MD
Director of Clinical Nephrology, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine,
New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Professor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York Viral infections and the kidney: HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
ABSTRACT
Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause rapidly progressive renal disease, so prompt recognition
and management are critical. Viral glomerulonephropathy can now often be successfully managed with a specific combination of antiviral therapy, immunosuppressants,
plasmapheresis, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and angiotensin 2 receptor blockers.

[copyman]

drink pleanty of cranberry juice and water. also there are some teas in the health food stores specifically for the kidneys. best of luck

[Yellowfin]

drank lots of cranberry juice yesterday and this evening.  if it isn't better tomorrow I am going to call the doctor. I should be hearing from the heptologist anyway.

[HARRYBEADS]

  When I was a young wanker about 5 I got glomularnephritis possibly from a operation a few months earlier were a experimental glue was used instead of stitches, turns out that this glue is made from human blood and can carry Hep, glomularnephritis is caused by Hep antibodies buildin up in the kidney.
   It's easy to tell if the kidneys have a problem , your **** will be dark Cola coloured and have a sulfar smell, plus swollen ankles and possibly face, you'll feel tired and slow.
   Salt is real bad and should be avoided entirely.

Harry