I'm I cured?

[cougaruda]

Just came back from my latest medical check up and received the following results after 43 shots of Pegasys:

AST     19
ALT      20
HBVDNA not detected (detectable range 20-170,000,000 IU/ml)
HBsAb    Positive   151.7 IU/L
HBeAg   Negative
HBeAb   Positive      .06 S/Co

Results back in 8/2010
AST     300
ALT      450
HBVDNA  more than 110,000,000 copies IU/ml
HBsAb    negative
HBeAg   positive

For some reason, after getting my results my doctor didn't show any sign of achievement or anything. Is it because in actuality, there is no ultimate end point for chronic HB? My doctor said that I still have to be careful because the virus can always come back. Stay away from alcohol permanently if I want to avoid getting liver cancer. Is this all true?

[Cjb3695]

Hey, during your experience. Can you give us a description of how it felt through the process? Any side effects? Did you feel a certain way towards the end? That might indicate or feel like your body fighting the virus off?

[stef2011]

i ve read a study on the use of interferon during pregnancy some days ago, i cannot find it now but anyway in the past there was no data or studies on this, try to google this
i guess if they did the study interferon can be even used on the mother and there shouldn  t be any trouble if it is the father using it

[cougaruda]

Hi Stef,
Happy new year.
I would like to know your thoughts on the following: I think my wife became pregnant in the beginning of December 2011. I think she's been pregnant for about 4-6 weeks. She got her blood tested after she found out she was pregnant and the hospital said that it was safe for her to continue the pregnancy.
My concern is that I was on Pegasys monotherapy for 48 weeks and my last injection was in the beginning of July. I am concerned that the pegasys may have affected my fertility. I am also concerned that my sperm may cause birth defects of my new born.
I've been researching on the internet about this issue, but I usually found that using Pegasys with Copegus could cause birth defects.
Please let me know what I should do.

[stef2011]

Any possibility that I only had acute hb?
not if hbsag lasted more than 6 months
not if hbcab igm was negative

Even if I have antibodies the virus can still come back?
if hbsag has not mutated it is impossible.you can check if mutants are present with hbsag simens assay and by checking hbvdna pcr with sensitivity that reaches 6iu/ml

anyway hbsag mutants are not common but it has been reported that interferon monotherapy can make it

as all research has always demonstrated monotherapies for viruses and bactieria that last long time are all at risk of resistance

[cougaruda]

@stef
Even if I have antibodies the virus can still come back?
Any possibility that I only had acute hb?

[stef2011]

I've been getting hbsag test monthly for the last 5 months and it has been negative .72 s/co

that's not the quantitative but when it reaches almost zero s/co is ok too but only close to zero.
you might use architect if you find it just to be sure it is really zero, architect reaches 0.01iu/ml if i remember correctly, the test you have used is very old and sensitivity is bad.but this is not necessary  because you have a lot if hbsab, you might use abbott architect or siemens or roches assays which are the best ones, some available since 2005, just to be sure you dont have any hbsag mutant which is possible with interferon monotherapy although not frequent

the cost of quantitative hbsag is very very low, 5 euros in italy, this is probably the reason it is not available in US, canada and UK because it can make hbvdna pcr useless and hbvdna pcr is 160euro in italy.....

[cougaruda]

That's what I don't get about the disease. When I get the typical hbsag test it comes out negative, but yet I have chronic hb?

[cougaruda]

@stef
I've been getting hbsag test monthly for the last 5 months and it has been negative .72 s/co. I don't know what that scale is though. Doesn't HBVDNA undetectable basically correlate to hbsag negative also? Such a complicated illness.
All I can suggest to everyone is to keep your spirits up. I don't know if it directly helped, but I took a multi-vitamin, vit e, vit b complex, every night before bed every night ever since the doctor told me I had chronic hbv.

[stef2011]

change doctor right away

check if hbsag quant is available in your counttry and if level is 1500iu/ml or lower try a combo of interferon+tenofovir, the clearance rate is superior to 30%

if you add alinia off label that 30% might even be higher

take also fibroscan and if it says no liver damage you have better wait for interferon lambda to be available, it should be 1-2 years, it has less sides and more potent than alpha interferon in use now

[nyemahyou]

Can i be asymptomatic,healthy and still take interferon? the doctor i visited said there is no medication for chronic Hbv

[stef2011]

absolutely not, they can keep the liver healthy and of course you have to do that both as an hbv carrier or not, but the virus can be cleared only by interferon or interferon combo with antivirals

[nyemahyou]

Can eating healthy liver friendly food which includes more fruits and vegetables plus drinking a lot of fluid(water) and abstaining from drugs and alcohol give you similar result as cougaruda? or clear the virus from your blood significantly

[stef2011]

it is just being lucky for interferon to work regimen has nothing to do with result....she probably had low hbsag baseline since we know that interferon response is correlated with lower hbsag


cougaruda did you have your hbsag quant checked before and during interferon treatment?

[jonny168]

wow! seems like you have. what was your regimen? can you share? :)

[stef2011]

as regards hbv you cleared it like anybody who clear acute hbv, there is no way for the virus to come back unless immune system gets damaged, and this is true for anybody that clears hbv

[stef2011]

he forgot you have to stay away from drugs more than alcool, especially all drugs that have an effect on immune syste,.be very careful because drugs never say they damage immune system

steroids, chemio, antibiotics, reumatitis drugs they all suppress immune system and make hbv back.do avoid them like poison

so happy for you, you are in the lucky 10% that clears by interferon

[crazyone086]

How I wish I could answer your entire question but I’m also seeking for an answer with the same situation with you. Have you undergone with the HBsAG again? I think the result of that will determine if you are free now or not. Good that you afford such kind of a test? The HBVDNA is very expensive.

Don’t worry God will help us. Just keep on praying.
Have faith always.