viral load

[william1955]

i got my bloodwork back my viral count is 3114894 (<43 iu/ml and 6.49)(<1.63 log iu/ml) how bad is this and what does the second reading mean

[hrsepwrguy]

Well I should add that a healthy diet is always good and definitly no alcohol but these things alone are not going to cure HCV.

[hrsepwrguy]

"Hepatitis B/C/A/D/G/E  can be cured but you have to sacrifice a lot of those good burgers, hot dogs, meat, alcohol,  etc."

As CL has pointed out this is not a valid statement.

[curiouslady1]

As the saying goes:  "the doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient"

[curiouslady1]

It doesn't matter in the great scheme of things whether your VL is 300 or 3 million.  If you've got it, you've got it and it is compromising your liver.  How much it compromises your liver varies with the individual based on their own biological make up.  The only way to know is through liver biopsy or other related tests such as fibrosure, fibroscan, etc.  

Before my treatment I had a VL one day of 13 million.  It fluctuated within a day or two down to 3 million.  This is considered a normal fluctuation.  When treatment started it went to 450 within 72 hours.  This was considered a treatment effect.  However, the virus was still there.  Eventually it reached undetectable levels.  (At my lab, undetectable means they can't pick up anything down to 10 per drop of blood.  At your lab they can't find anything down to 43 per drop of blood - <43 as it was given to you in your results above refers to the test, it has nothing to do with your condition)  

However, if I had stopped the treatment when my test first read "undetectable" it would  likely soon be back in the previous numbers.  Neither your immune system nor your wheat grass tea would prevent it.  The virus would be hanging out in numbers BELOW the detectable range.  That is why people continue to blast away at these buggers for months and sometimes years.  The virus has a fierce resistance to anything trying to exterminate it.  

But unlike Hep B and HIV, the goal in HepC treatment is not just to suppress the replication of these littl virons but to eradicate them altogether which is now possible even though they put up a helluva fight.    

[VinhBeatsallOdds]

Hi There,  I have decreased mine to 621 for viral load through a massive change of diet of foods that helps increase liver cells which basically if enough will kick out the Hepatitis DNA count.  Try a Juicing of Beets, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Lime, for about 1-2 months and read the book on "Soul Mind Body Medicine"  Helped me a lot!.   Hepatitis B/C/A/D/G/E  can be cured but you have to sacrifice a lot of those good burgers, hot dogs, meat, alcohol,  etc.    My email is ***@****  if u want to talk about it, I can tell you more on how I decrease mine down that low.  

Vinh

[Jimmygeee666]

I have a VL of Ten mill. Have had 2 biopsy both good type 1 found out in 92 been putting treatment off for 20 years or more they say 80 to 90 chance on the triple dose

[desrt]

<43/<1.63 log just means they wouldn't be able to give you an accurate # below that level. As hrsepwrguy said, that's a pretty average viral load. We don't often see them below 100,000 or over 20,000,000 pre-tx.

[spectda]

You have a high but average viral load. As desrt stated it is not important until you treat. High viral load is not indicative of more liver damage then low viral load. With the current medications available and approved to treat genotype 1 a high starting viral load is not much of an issue in treating successfully.
welcome to the forum,
Dave

[hrsepwrguy]

Your viral load would be considerd mid range not low or high, here is a link to a viral load scale.

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hepatitis/loadchart.html

[william1955]

so if i understood you i have a fairly low detection

[william1955]

thankyou for responding my genotype 1a no i have not had biopsy so i really dont know how bad my liver is

[hrsepwrguy]

It means you have an active HCV infection with a viral load of 3114894 the 6.49 is just another way of expressing this on a log 10 scale the other numbers are just the lowest levels of detection of the test used. Viral load has no bearing on current liver condition or the state of your disease and is used as a starting marker for progress during treatment should you decide to treat. Another test that is important is your genotype as it plays a big role on what treatment plans are available to you. For a true assesment of your condition a liver biopsy is prefered but a fibroscan can be used as well. Sorry to hear about your recent diagnoses and welcome to the forum

[desrt]

Viral load isn't that important until you start doing treatment, then it's used as a gauge of how well you are responding to the meds. In rare cases for certain genotypes it can be considered along with other factors to consider shortened treatment. The second set of numbers probably refer to the range/sensitivity of the test.Do you know which genotype HCV you have and have you had a biopsy or other procedure to determine the actual condition of your liver?