Aa
Once on anti-virals, does that mean forever?
Being an e-antigen negative HBV patient who potentially goes through long stretches where my alt is normal and viral load is slightly elevated, does this mean I absolutely have to be on anti-virals all the time. If I get tested regularly is it possible to go off them in times when my LFT and viral load are managed? or is this not possible or fool hardy?
Chanthou: Re-read my response to jb4j96 on Oct. 13. I think that explanation could apply to your son. The "e" is a balance between the antigen and antibody.
Jb4j96: Glad that it makes sense for you. Monitoring and plotting the trend is very important.
Both and all: Many times people say "this is my lab, what do I do?" It's hard to answer because one snapshot is meaningless. That snapshot could be a flare in an otherwise good presentation. Or the reverse, the eye in the middle of the real storm.
Jb4j96: Glad that it makes sense for you. Monitoring and plotting the trend is very important.
Both and all: Many times people say "this is my lab, what do I do?" It's hard to answer because one snapshot is meaningless. That snapshot could be a flare in an otherwise good presentation. Or the reverse, the eye in the middle of the real storm.
Thanks for explanation of e-neg not being a light switch this is the first time this has ever been explained to me like this. In fact I thought it was like a light switch. Thus this explanation helps me with a newer perspective on perhaps waiting a little while longer.
once hbvdna is complitely suppressed there is a slow decrease of cccdna, the theory was about 15years needed, to prove this theory we have only about 10 years of continuous lam without resistance in 3 patients in italy, one lost hbsag, cccdna the other 2 have very low levels.
of course to prove this we need to wait those who started etv and tdf and see what happens in 15 years if resistance doesn t happen and how many clear, i do hope we have replicor drug or interferon lambda to shorten this long time and no need to wait so long
I'm 53, asian male; 24 years ago I got real sick in 1986 from HBV (no idea how I got it) ; then recovered but remain a inactive carrier since then. I'm e antigen negative & e antibody positive.
ALT range from 22 to 34 over the past four years
viral load range from low of 32 (9/09) to high of 3610 (12/07) iu/ml
last count was 1250 iu/ml on 7/10, alt was 25.
And I'm not on any medication yet; just monitoring right now.
ALT range from 22 to 34 over the past four years
viral load range from low of 32 (9/09) to high of 3610 (12/07) iu/ml
last count was 1250 iu/ml on 7/10, alt was 25.
And I'm not on any medication yet; just monitoring right now.
Hi Steve,
My son was initially, HBeAg + and HBeAb -. But, right before he started treatement his HBeAg became - and HBeAb +. After 3 months treatment, his HBeAg became again + and HBeAb -.
Why it switched? Is he HBe postive or negative?
My son was initially, HBeAg + and HBeAb -. But, right before he started treatement his HBeAg became - and HBeAb +. After 3 months treatment, his HBeAg became again + and HBeAb -.
Why it switched? Is he HBe postive or negative?
Well firstly, congrats on getting life insurance before diagnosis. Good job :)
So you are 34 yo, "e" neg. Biopsy result is good. I would say continue to monitor. Since you are 34, maybe the "e" seroconversion is not solid solid, kind of still in the making. If this is the case, fluctuation will be common.
Remember the "e" is not a light switch of "on/off", it's a balance of the "e" antigen and antibody, they are both there. So if you have a good amount of the antigen, virus will replicate and DNA will fluctuate.
So you are 34 yo, "e" neg. Biopsy result is good. I would say continue to monitor. Since you are 34, maybe the "e" seroconversion is not solid solid, kind of still in the making. If this is the case, fluctuation will be common.
Remember the "e" is not a light switch of "on/off", it's a balance of the "e" antigen and antibody, they are both there. So if you have a good amount of the antigen, virus will replicate and DNA will fluctuate.
Well, in April 2010 it was about 15,000 copies, now it's 165,000 copies (my current ALT is 25, it was 23 in April 2010), so that's quite a jump, although my doctor wants to just monitor now and recheck in Dec. If it goes back down we'll continue to just monitor. If it stays high or goes higher they want to start me on oral anti-virals. Unfortunately, I only have 6 months of blood test data as I was only diagnosed in March 2010. I had a liver biopsy done in May 2010, I scored 0-1 on inflammation and 0 on fibrosis.
In theory I could have been in the state I'm currently in for quite some time since I have no previous data (before March 2010). I did have a blood test in 2003 for life insurance, my ALT on that was slightly higher than normal, like 1 point higher than the normal range. It didn't affect my life insurance app. I was diagnosed after I donated blood for the first time. So, it's good that it was caught, but it's true what they say, ignorance is bliss. I should mention that I'm Asian, Korean specifically.
In theory I could have been in the state I'm currently in for quite some time since I have no previous data (before March 2010). I did have a blood test in 2003 for life insurance, my ALT on that was slightly higher than normal, like 1 point higher than the normal range. It didn't affect my life insurance app. I was diagnosed after I donated blood for the first time. So, it's good that it was caught, but it's true what they say, ignorance is bliss. I should mention that I'm Asian, Korean specifically.
what's slightly elevated?
In general, it's a diffcult question to answer without mapping out your presentation over time. Looking at the lab trend is important.
In general, it's a diffcult question to answer without mapping out your presentation over time. Looking at the lab trend is important.
I am in the same boat. My understanding is: Yes. It may be forever. The reasons I think may be:
1) persistent elevated hbv dna increases HCC risks if you are > 40 yo. If HCC is detected, it is much harder to handle if it is not impossible. Remember that hbv can progress to liver cancer without going through cirrhosis like hcv.
2) hbv mutation if drug is stopped. I am not too sure about this.
3) hbv virus may rebound to a very high level and damage liver a lot, which may be life threatening.
1) persistent elevated hbv dna increases HCC risks if you are > 40 yo. If HCC is detected, it is much harder to handle if it is not impossible. Remember that hbv can progress to liver cancer without going through cirrhosis like hcv.
2) hbv mutation if drug is stopped. I am not too sure about this.
3) hbv virus may rebound to a very high level and damage liver a lot, which may be life threatening.
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