Aa
Cure for Hep C
I have Hep C and did the interferon treatment with ribaviran almost 4 years ago. At one point my viral lode was below 500. It has gone up but not anywhere near where it was at 7 1/2 million when I started. I no longer drink alcohol since before the treatment. Does the interferon and ribavarin cure it? I heard there is a new medicine coming out in 2010 which can completely irradicate the Hep C. Can you tell me about that please. Thank you for your time and what ever information you may send me.
Hi Mary,
Have you been recently diagnosed?
It can be shocking and confusing to find out, as all of us here know.
Once you learn more about it, though, you'll feel better and start taking the necessary steps to make a plan. You already started by posting here.
The '1A' is just a way to identify the particular type of Hepatitis C that you have. There are lots of genotypes:
"There are six known genotypes and more than 50 subtypes of hepatitis C....Patients with genotypes 2 and 3 are two to three times more likely to respond to interferon-based therapy than patients with genotype 1."
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/chronichepc/
If you have Genotype 1, you have what approximately 80% of North Americans have, so you're not alone in facing this. Probably most of us here have or had either 1A or 1B and many of us, like myself, are now clinically cured.
That post of mine from almost two years ago (2008) was when new meds were emerging in trials but now (2010) they may be released in a year or two. The new additions to treatment will greatly improve the odds and likely shorten treatment time.
My odds as a 1A were about 45 to 50 percent and I did succeed the first time around. For those who didn't succeed on their first try (that other half), there is either the chance to re-treat by tweaking the current meds or, if possible, waiting for the promise of these new combos.
So are you or someone you know a genotyope 1A?
Susan
Have you been recently diagnosed?
It can be shocking and confusing to find out, as all of us here know.
Once you learn more about it, though, you'll feel better and start taking the necessary steps to make a plan. You already started by posting here.
The '1A' is just a way to identify the particular type of Hepatitis C that you have. There are lots of genotypes:
"There are six known genotypes and more than 50 subtypes of hepatitis C....Patients with genotypes 2 and 3 are two to three times more likely to respond to interferon-based therapy than patients with genotype 1."
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/chronichepc/
If you have Genotype 1, you have what approximately 80% of North Americans have, so you're not alone in facing this. Probably most of us here have or had either 1A or 1B and many of us, like myself, are now clinically cured.
That post of mine from almost two years ago (2008) was when new meds were emerging in trials but now (2010) they may be released in a year or two. The new additions to treatment will greatly improve the odds and likely shorten treatment time.
My odds as a 1A were about 45 to 50 percent and I did succeed the first time around. For those who didn't succeed on their first try (that other half), there is either the chance to re-treat by tweaking the current meds or, if possible, waiting for the promise of these new combos.
So are you or someone you know a genotyope 1A?
Susan
Hi Mary,
Hep C consists of many strains, or genotypes; genotype 1a minimally requires 48 weeks of interferon/ribavirin therapy, and patients will respond successfully to the therapy in 45-50% of cases.
Have you recently been diagnosed?
Welcome to the discussion group,
Bill
what is the 1 A in hepitatis c, is that the worse kind of hepitatis? some one tell me please.
i have to 'run' now but there was a really exciting development just announced with the Vertex trials. The report can be dry reading for most, including me, but let's keep our fingers crossed that we can indeed hitch ourselves to this star. Scroll to yesterday's post - Jmjm posted it - and you'll probably be impressed. I was.
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