viral load

[janice55]

my viral load was 15 million aboout 6 months ago. i have hep c for like 32 years. my alt and ast is always high and out of range. have been on treatment twice. once in 1993 and again in 2001. i am seeing a specialist at mount saini hospital on the 27th of this month. anyway the question is how bad is a viral load of 15 million. it cant be good. any ideas anyone. i would appreciate a answer. thanks peace to all.

[Diane12855]

I agree that the important thing at this stage is to get a biopsy to find out the condition of your liver. Once you know the answer to that question, you will be in a better place to make decisions about treating or waiting for the new drugs that hopefully will be out next year. They are supposed to make treatment time shorter, and chances of a cure much better.

Learn all you can while waiting on your appointment so you can ask your doctor anything you need to know.

Diane

[frijole]

The real question is what is the state of your liver?  Have you had a biopsy at any point during this journey?  If it has been several years I hope you will get one now.  Do you know what your platelet count runs?

Good luck with your specialist .  You will be in good hands, it sounds like.
frijole

[pcds]

There are new tx coming out.  Also look at trails on clinicaltrails.gov. Just something else to talk about with your doc.
Judy

[Trinity4]

It's just a number right now Janice.  A viral load of 15 million doesn't mean fibrosis is progressing any faster than if it were 1 million.  Anything below 400,000 is considered low and a low viral load can factor favorably into achieving SVR but not always.   If you decide to treat again that's when the viral load will be relevant.  My viral load was a little over a million and I was a slow responder and ultimately relapsed but many with the same viral load have achieved SVR.

Viral load fluctuates and a month from now it could be lower or higher.

Good luck with your doctor's appointment,
Trinity