HepC forever?

I'm recently dx with geno 2b by my primary.  Until Jan that's all I know so far, but I'm in education mode to the max.  I have learned to quit focusing on how and how long.  I'm going to guess possibly as long as 1980 - jetgun immunizations in the Air Force.  

My questions: Once you reach SVR do you remain contagious? Is there a threshold of when you can say I'm done with this disease or need to continue to monitor forever?  I know there are probably no diffinite answer since as yet there is no "Cure".  

Thanks in advance to all for replying.

[nygirl7]

We, here, who have done treatment and succeeded generally DO consider ourselves 100% cured....however I am not sure how many years go by and you cannot donate organs or blood or anything because the antibodies will always show up even though you don't have the disease anymore.

You have the 'better' of the genotypes which is a good thing since you only have to treat for 24 weeks.  I treated for 72 weeks to try and give myself better odds of the 'cure' and almost a year later am "SVR" meaing 'cured'.  It was hard but it was completely worth it.

Don't worry about when you got it - you'll never know for absolute sure.  Just be glad you found out you have it so that it can be treated and annihilated once and for all!  :)

[alagirl]

actually, you CAN still donate organs, even now while you're contagious.  I was unaware of this but had posted a thread about mourning my loss of organ donor status.  Apparently they will use hepc organs for hepc patients and it works as well if not better than non HCV infected organs.  I think one of the mikes posted a big long study on it.  So you can still donate, you and your fam just need to designate that you are HCV positive.  (Something they'll figure out on your test anyway).  This was further backed up when I told the lady at the ER I was a donor the other night when I got my transfusion and she said that was ok, they left me as a donor for the transplant committee to hash out (should something have happened with the transfusion and I croaked or something - which obviously, it didn't, cuz I'm still here bugging you people).

[Myown]

SVR is considered cure by some doctors and others its remission. A hep doc in boston told me SVR would mean the virus is gone UNLESS I had to go for chemo some day - then it could return. That to me says there are traces left behind after SVR but as many have said before "our immune system seems to keep it in check." Thats why if our immune system becomes compromised the virus may return. There will be always be people who might argue that - but I happen to agree that it can return under certain circumstances including chronic stress etc.(just my opinion - not saying its fact)

Here's and interesting read...

Reemergence of Hepatitis C Virus after 8.5 Years in a Patient with Hypogammaglobulinemia: Evidence for an Occult Viral Reservoir
Author(s)  William M. Lee, Julie E. Polson, D. Spencer Carney, Bogachan Sahin, and Michael Gale, Jr.
Identifiers  The Journal of Infectious Diseases, volume 192 (2005), pages 1088–1092
DOI: 10.1086/432917
PubMed ID: 16107964

Availability  This site:   PS  |  HTML  |  PDF (1.3M)  
Copyright  © 2005, the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Abstract  The question of whether viruses persist after apparent clearance of infection remains unanswered. Here, we describe a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia whose acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection appeared to resolve after receipt of interferon therapy, relapse immediately, and then clear spontaneouslyonly to relapse after receipt of corticosteroid therapy, and clear again, 8.5 years later. Sequencing indicated that the viruses detected during each relapse were virtually identical, with the hypervariable region 1 of E2 appearing to be monoclonal, which is typical of patients with hypogammaglobulinemia. Nonstructural 5A sequences exhibited quasispecies diversity initially but, after 8.5 years, had become monoclonal. The prolonged period of negativity for HCV RNA followed by relapse suggests that HCV may persist in apparent sustained viral responders.

[Myown]

"here's AN interesting read"

I don't know why I bothered to correct it though - as if all my other posts are so perfect:)

[GrandmaA]

There is a lady who had hep. C type 1 and was able to get it into remission with conventional tx. She also had lupus and took prednisone and the virus became active again. She had to treat again and got it into remission again. I don't think she will be taking prednisone again.

All viruses are either active or dormant (remission). For example: the chicken pox virus comes back as shingles later in life. Viruses hide in the spinal column. We are just trying to get it UNDETECTABLE for 6 mos.  

[Myown]

All viruses are either active or dormant (remission). For example: the chicken pox virus comes back as shingles later in life. Viruses hide in the spinal column. We are just trying to get it UNDETECTABLE for 6 mos.  
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yes I agree. There are other viruses that most of us have that are dormant EBV,CMV. I did read that CMV had become active again when a guy was getting a transplant (liver) I can't remember if he was treating for HCV, but I think he was. I know that I was tested for EBV and CMV and I had both  (dormant) but I have no idea when I had them cause I don't remember feeling sick at all. I did wonder if CMV could come back when the immune system was lowered while txing though:)

[mikesimon]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) (from the Greek cyto-, "cell", and -mega-, "large") is a viral genus of the Herpesviruses group: in humans it is commonly known as human herpesvirus 5 (HHV-5).[1] CMV belongs to the Betaherpesvirinae subfamily of Herpesviridae, which also includes Roseolovirus. Other herpesviruses fall into the subfamilies of Alphaherpesvirinae (including HSV 1 and 2 and varicella) or Gammaherpesvirinae (including Epstein-Barr virus).[1] All herpesviruses share a characteristic ability to remain latent within the body over long periods.

CMV infections are frequently associated with salivary glands, though they may be found throughout the body. CMV infection can also be life threatening for patients who are immunocompromised (e.g. patients with HIV, organ transplant recipients, or neonates).[1] CMV viruses are found in many mammal species, but CMV species isolated from animals differ from human CMV in terms of genomic structure, and have not been reported to cause human disease.

In humans, CMV is found throughout all geographic locations and socioeconomic groups, and infects between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States as indicated by the presence of antibodies in much of the general population.[1] CMV is also the virus most frequently transmitted to a developing child before birth. CMV infection is more widespread in developing countries and in areas of lower socioeconomic conditions and causes the most birth defects in industrialized countries of all the herpes viruses.