Alcohol and HCV...an unanswered question.

[DoubleDose]

Here is a curveball, along with an article regarding the highprevalance of HCV in alcoholics.  See link below.

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2003/niaaa-26.htm

This is an issue that I have discussed with several HCV doctors, with no clear answer to my questions.  The article, as well as several others I have reviewed lately, indicates the abnormally high number of heavy drinkers, alcoholics, etc. that are HCV positive.  Often this is within populations with no known risk factors, and no past IVDU history.  My big question, which I have wondered about for years, is WHY does this seem to be the case.  Why would heavy alcohol users seem prone to developing HCV???  Unless, of course, they are all lying, and happen to also have risk factors which they now deny.  I think there is much more to this mystery, which still baffles the medical community.

Along with my concerns about persistent HCV after SVR, is another concern which many of you have responded to in the past when I have posed this issue.  Could there be HCV transmission in the general population, on a much larger scale than suspected, that is not in the bloodstream or liver.  In effect, a 'latent' tissue, or glandular infection which remains latent or suppressed, until a major stimulus causes it to 'explode' into the bloodstream.  This theory would help explain the great numbers of HCV cases worldwide that have no known risk factors.
Could there be a somewhat 'dormant' viral infection in a large portion of our population, within organs like salivary system, sexual organs , membranes, CNS, etc.??? (cont. below)

[cougareyes]

John is right, through the 70's and alot of the 80's we just didn't worry about blood as much. Just a quick story, my friend visited from another city; getting ready that night forgot his razor; used mine. We would never do that now. At the time I did not know I was HCV, thank goodness he is negative today.
As far as alchol, had I not been such a heavy drinker; I'm not sure I would know now that I have HCV. The accelerated alcohol use with the HCV is what made me sick. I don't know exact numbers, but there are alot of non-drinkers that have HCV, alot of heavy drinkers w/cirrosis that don't have HCV; and every other combination in the book.
If you look hard enough you'll find your category if you really want to; I still don't really know how I got. Didn't shoot drugs, but did believe in "sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll.
Peace

[mistybean]

Not sure that thier is a cooralation between high drinking and non-blood contact.  The highest population of Hep C infected are ex or current drug users.  I have heard this number is as high as 70 to 80 perect of those infected. It is possible that they are also heavy drinkers.  I have never met a drinker who did not have another risk factor related to blood who is infected with hep C.  I think it is clear that the highest risk factor for getting Hep C is via blood contact.   What you do see is a coralation between heavy drinkers and advanced hep c ( approx 20 percent).  This is the same percentage of people who will get advance Hep C.

[mistybean]

I don't believe latent Hep C is triggered by alchohol use. Alcohol use does not start this virus or trigger the virus to become active.  Two different things completly. cheers

[mistybean]

My father was an iron worker in San Fran and thier was lots of drugs and drinking moving with that crowd in the 70"s and 80"s.

Kid of an ironworker

[johnisme]

The first thing we found out at any new job site was where the  nearest liquor store was. And the owner would always keep plenty of quarts of beer on ice for us. And when they would bring a new guy on the job all we had to do was look at his hands. We could tell how long he would last.

[cougareyes]

That's where and when I got it. In 1980, San Francisco; I was diag. with non-A/non-B hep, I thought I was cured. I never thought about it again until Oct last year when I was diag w/ HCV.    Peace