Hepatitis C

[dandoun]

Is it possible for a hepatitis C patient to have a normal range of SGOT & SGPT , and at the same time to have a high range of HCV RNA ?????????????????????

[honey11]

Yes,,,,I'm perfect example,,,before treating,,,my alt was 18 and ast 19 but my viral load was 8 mil.

[tulsatime]

Before I started treatment my ALT was 58 and AST 48. My viral load was 3.3 mil. And I had Cirrhosis. Hope this helps, Debi

[GrandOak]

Absolutely!  All enzymes show is an indication that something may be affecting the liver.  CBC's and Hepatic function panels are generally used to further diagnose what might be the cause and refine tests to be run in order to further pinpoint the possible cause.

[mycoldfeet]

I am having trouble finding out what is considered a relapser and non responder, all the sites I've read are pretty evasive about it, except what drugs are recommended, and they dont seem to differ much so I'm suspect that the drug co's like to run them together. Is it whether you show a 2 log drop in 12 wks or not, is it a certain time limit from UND at end of tx to being detectable? Or is it the drugs make no difference at all? What is the real deal?

[Alady1620]

A relapser is somebody that cleared the virus on treatment but, when they stopped the medication, the virus returned.

A non responder is someone whose viral load does not respond to treatment.  Usually, doctors look for a 2 log drop in the first 12 weeks, preferably the first 4 weeks of treatment.  

That is my understanding.  I am sure someone else will come along and it explain it better.

[Alady1620]

Also, it is my understanding that a person of genotype one needs to treat for at least 36 weeks after they are undetectable.  My doctor has said 24 weeks but I have read in studies 36 weeks.

Other genotypes treat for shorter amounts of time.