SVR/Cholesterol Question for Hepatitsresercher, Others

[cheddarhead]

Good news first. Geno 1a, 57 year old male, infected during a medical procedure in '05. 1/1 with inflammation but no damage. IDEAL participant from June '06 through May '07. VL 240 at week 2, UND week 4, UND 24 weeks post treatment, so SVR. Good physical condition, weight to height excellent, diet low in fat...quasi-vegetarian, I guess, with very little red meat, saturated fats, etc. Handled treatment well.

In May of '06 during my pre-treatment physical my cholesterol was 187, triglyerides 153 and LDL 107 with a ratio of 3.8

Mid-treatment in February '07 cholesterol 183 and triglycerides 141.

Six months post in October '07 cholesterol 270, triglycerides 204, and LDL 184 with a ratio of 6.0

So what's up? According to my hep C doc at UW Madison Hospital the biopsy showed inflammation with little to no liver damage. Would this alone be enough to surpress cholesterol levels? Why the big bounce after TX? Right now I'm taking plant sterols (Promise Activ), upping the exercise, and really controlling diet, which was very good to begin with. I do not want to go on statin drugs because of the history of liver damage associated with statins, my history of hep c, etc. Any ideas?

Thanks for the help!
Bruce

[Whrose]

yes i agree with your comments. regardless we all should pay attention to lipid profiles no matter why the cause.  these days i am seeing young people in their teens with hyperlipidemia...probably because not only factors of the modern diet, genetics, but also because PCP might be giving better attention to this issue and testing earlier to address one of the correctible risk factors of cardiovascular disease. i am pleased that people are paying attention to lipids regardless  :)
hope you are well and enjoying the gorgeous december days.
hugs   Whrose

[jmjm530]

I think you case is more typical of lipid rebound than "Cheddar's". You had abnormally low cholesterol pre-tx which then returned to normal. Cheddar, on the other hand, had slightly elevated cholesterol going into treatment and much higher post treatment. This was closer to my stats going into and out of treatment.

While lipid rebound may play a factor, worsening of metabolic syndrome is also associated with interferon treatment, and may be the more likely factor in Cheddar's case.

-- Jim

[Whrose]

it appears you are showing a typical lipid rebound often associated with hcv infection clearance.
HCV is associated with LDL and VLDL molecules in the circulation and also suspected as a factor in viral entry into the cell by using LDL receptors.
congratulations!!!!! on your SVR*****how sweet it is!
i agree with Jims advice and considerations. i will be quite interested in your outcome measured in time and lab results and specific interventions.
my lipids all returned to normal levels after treatment (were abnormally low pre-tx). i was genetically lucky not to have to worry about further measures to address hyperlipidemia after treatment.
certainly you should attend to your levels to ensure your best liver and cardiovascular health.
hope they return to healthy levels soon!
best regards   Whrose

[jmjm530]

Missed the SVR thing. No, it will not alter your SVR status, based on everything I've read and heard from my hepatologists. In fact, it shouldn't bother your liver at all, although prudent to check liver enzymes periodically just in case. For that reason, do a liver enzyme panel every time you do a cholesterol lipid panel.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

At a minimum, you want want to get a basline lipid panel -- total cholesterol, hdl, ldl, tri's, etc -- before you started the Red Yeast. The Red Yeast should kick in within 2-3 weeks, so that would be my first re-test. Then maybe every 2-3 months until you see a pattern.
I'm sure HR will have some suggestions for more detailed testing, but most PCP's (and even many cardiologists) probably will have no idea what to do with the results. That said, best to get as many baseline tests as possible now, because the Red Yeast will alter your results. If you go ahead with the Red Yeast, please check back and let us know how it went, including lab numbers. Thanks.

-- Jim

[cheddarhead]

Thanks for the input. Jim, I was on the Mayo site this AM checking out "red yeast rice extract" too. I guess the major pharma companies did all they could to ban its sale in the US, but you can still order it online. If you did go on it, Jim, what blood tests would you have your PCP administer? Any idea if it could effect SVR status?

[jmjm530]

"Red yeast rice extract" is basically a statin. I'm considering it as well, although the sfx profile seems simlilar to rx statins:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-yeast-rice/NS_patient-redyeast

[hairtamer]

My primary dr sent me to the health food store for red yeast rice.  Ask your dr if that would help you.
In Jesus, the Reason for the Season,
Rose

[jmjm530]

I doubt if it has anything to do with being cured of the virus, esp given your liver histology. What's up  is that interferon can screw up the metabolism of a lot of people (increased metabolic syndrome)  including myself. I'm in your position now, although cholesterol not quite as high. If diet and exercise do not bring my cholesterol down, then no choice but to take statins. At LDL 184, you should be serioulsy considering statins if you can't bring it down by more natural means.

-- Jim