Its real simple and even a laymen HCV patient can read and understand it...I find it irritating when doctors dont recognize the fact that the IL28B doesn't only pertain to a G1
"In patients who received 24 weeks of antiviral treatment, the probability of achieving an SVR in those who did not achieve an RVR, was higher in those with the CC allele (74%) than with the CT (59%) or TT alleles (29%). Mangia et al. [21] reported that IL28B influenced treatment outcome in patients who did not achieve an RVR, with SVR rates of 29%, 67% and 87% in patients carrying the TT, CT or CC alleles at rs12979860 respectively. "
http://hepatitiscresearchandnewsupdates.blogspot.ca/2012/01/treatment-of-patients-with-genotype-3.html#.UdcYTG0gvFK
I am not sure on this, but what I have found seems to indicate that the IL28B polymorphism predicts spontaneous clearance of HCV infection and also response to Peg-INF/Riba treatment.
You have dropped 6 log in 4 weeks. I call that RVR.
If you RVR you are responding very well to treatment.
I would not worry too much about if you are CC CT or TT. The drugs are working.
There is always the question as to whether to treat now or wait for a more sure thing. How sick is chronic HCV making you feel and how will your health decline if you do not treat but wait.
If for some reason you do not SVR, there are several DAA's around the corner that will cure.
If I were in your shoes I would continue on with the treatment and not worry too much about IL28B.
Best wishes.
A rapid virologic response, or RVR, is defined as an undetectable HCV RNA at week 4
http://depts.washington.edu/hepstudy/hepC/mgmt/viroresponse/discussion.html
I have to admit ActingBrandNew is correct.
The patient only dropped 5 Log, some virus was still detected but it was below the limit of quantification. What's that limit, about 15 IU/mL or so?
I think things still look pretty good.
Yes Cheesegrater,
I was so happy when I found out that I was responding so well to treatment. I was so relieved, I cried.
I am on a high dose RBV, was 1400 for first three weeks, had to reduce to 1200. I am confident in my hep dr and nurses experience, as they hit my virus with high dose because G3 is harder to treat, but I do want to investigate further the IL28B gene. Knowledge is power. Maybe they are aware of studies already. . . However i now want to know.
And I cant thank ABN enough for bringing this to my attention.
I want to do whatever I have to or can do this first time and hopefully only time.
Still waiting on liver results.
S
Well I just found out that they don't test for IL28B in Canada. Only used for research. Disappointing.
S