Can cirrhosis be reversed?

[dariolondon]

I have compensated cirrhosis as a result of long term HCV - I am hopefully about to be enrolled on a trial which could eliminate the virus. If the trial is successful for me then obviously my liver will no longer be under constant attack and I'm wondering if anyone has experience - or even anecdotal evidence - or reversing compensated cirrhosis?

Even going back to 'just' having severe fibrosis would be an improvement. I've had the cirrhosis for nearly 5 years but my liver has deteriorated very little in that time, my bloods have remained stable - if anything some of the key markers have slightly improved. I don't smoke, drink or eat meat and I run 20 to 25 miles a week - this is my own 'drug free' TX. I've done everything I can to stay healthy and I'm hoping to slowly heal my liver if I get SVR - can it be done?

[Livelife777]

You have every reason to be optomistic when its comes to treating and curing your Hep C.  We basically are in the middle of an explosion of new treatments and cures for this deadly virus and therefore many will benefit regardless of their economic situation.  You should never feel guilty for being chosen to participate, as you've done your homework and put forth the effort to become a viable candidate.  Must say, Congragulations and good luck in your endevour.

Stronglady. There are many individuals that struggle with ongoing pain management issues.  Treating your Hep C virus is never in vein, or why bother status.  If you are currently on pain medication you must make sure that your Pain Dr is aware of your liver issues.  There are certain therapys and treatment meds, that will not affect the liver.

Ekkiemom in laymens terms when the liver becomes overly scarred, it loses its ability to function at any level.  This is usually seen once a persons liver becomes decompensated.  That is the reason why early cirrhotics and patients with late stage fibrosis need to treat their Hep C virus before the liver is irreversibly damaged.    ASAP   It can actually mean the difference between having a liver transplant and/or living with Cirrhosis.

Hope that's helped.
....Kim

[Ekkiemom]

Hi Dario.... As my gastro explained to me that the damaged parts of the liver stay the same BUT the liver then expands to compensate for the damaged sections as if they didn't exist. He said the liver is an amazing organ to be able to compensate for any damage. The only thing I don't get is why then do we need transplants. Did they wait too long to see Dr. I'm kind of confused

[Sarah1949]

Whoops. I guess there is now way to delete a duplicate comment? Sorry.

[Sarah1949]

These are some great citations PJ. Thank you!!!

I'm in week 8 of S/O and just got back new labs and everything is perfectly normal and I'm undetected. However, my platelets remain low. They were 65 3 months ago and are now 82 so there has been some improvement. This makes me think I still have portal hypertension going on. I get an ultrasound this coming Tuesday though.

I firmly believe that if cured of the hcv, the cirrhosis will begin to reverse.

Congrats on the trial Dariolondon!

[Sarah1949]

These are some great citations PJ. Thank you!!!

I'm in week 8 of S/O and just got back new labs and everything is perfectly normal and I'm undetected. However, my platelets remain low. They were 65 3 months ago and are now 82 so there has been some improvement. This makes me think I still have portal hypertension going on. I get an ultrasound this coming Tuesday though.

I firmly believe that if cured of the hcv, the cirrhosis will begin to reverse.

Congrats on the trial Dariolondon!

[dariolondon]

Thanks Dee, I'm hoping to reduce my liver damage back to fibrosis. I'm sure it can be done, especially after reading stories like yours.