Aa
Recently Diagnosed Hep C
Hello Ladies & Gentleman,
I had a brief unprotected ( 1 minute ) encounter with a partner on March 3rd. I took blood test ( for everything including all hep, hsv hiv ) on the 13th and the 22nd. Everything was negative or non reactive.
Well it was June 4th when I took my last blood test. Hiv negative...Hep C positive antibody 4.79 h reactive. It says patient's sample test reactive with a low s/co ratio or = > 1.0 and > 8.0. HCV RNA, Quantitative Real Time PCR ( 35645 ), which requires a fresh frozen sample be drawn and submitted.
So I did just that on thursday. They took another blood sample. Did I mention I'm African American =( 31, never used a drug and have dranked a total of maybe 1 drink in my whole life. So I'm assuming this would have to be related to my unprotected encounter. I've had symptoms since 5 days after possible infection ( 3rd of march ) like dry mouth, itchy skin with red spots ( lasted for 3 days only ). No rash. I've been passing gas in a dry/flatulent mode since the 3rd. I've only had 1 watery stool/diarrhea which was last weekend. Nothing has happened more since then.
Anyhow, I feel like my result will come back positive for sure. The odds are just not in my favor=( Any help in what type of medication works the best with african americans? I know It's not a good look for me...But I might as well be some what optimistic.
Thanks
I had a brief unprotected ( 1 minute ) encounter with a partner on March 3rd. I took blood test ( for everything including all hep, hsv hiv ) on the 13th and the 22nd. Everything was negative or non reactive.
Well it was June 4th when I took my last blood test. Hiv negative...Hep C positive antibody 4.79 h reactive. It says patient's sample test reactive with a low s/co ratio or = > 1.0 and > 8.0. HCV RNA, Quantitative Real Time PCR ( 35645 ), which requires a fresh frozen sample be drawn and submitted.
So I did just that on thursday. They took another blood sample. Did I mention I'm African American =( 31, never used a drug and have dranked a total of maybe 1 drink in my whole life. So I'm assuming this would have to be related to my unprotected encounter. I've had symptoms since 5 days after possible infection ( 3rd of march ) like dry mouth, itchy skin with red spots ( lasted for 3 days only ). No rash. I've been passing gas in a dry/flatulent mode since the 3rd. I've only had 1 watery stool/diarrhea which was last weekend. Nothing has happened more since then.
Anyhow, I feel like my result will come back positive for sure. The odds are just not in my favor=( Any help in what type of medication works the best with african americans? I know It's not a good look for me...But I might as well be some what optimistic.
Thanks
Best Answer
Thanks all. you're right i'm sure...I may need to break myself from this site a bit. I'm addicted to everything and Im always thinking its a part of my situation.
To add to hrsepwr's answer, you need not worry about liver damage in
6 months time.
Enjoy your life~there's no need to stress.
6 months time.
Enjoy your life~there's no need to stress.
So you're saying there is no way of the pcr coming back with a positive viral load six months after being negative? Thats my concern...
http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/c-hcv-viral-load
http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/c-hcv-viral-load
What do the results of the two tests mean?
People who have a positive antibody test along with a negative RNA test have had an infection that has been cleared. He or she is not
infected now.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/PDFs/HepCTesting-Diagnosis.pdf
NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION = HCV RNA by PCR which you have already had
The diagnosis of HCV infection can also be made through detection of HCV RNA using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques (Figure 1). HCV RNA can be detected within one to two weeks after exposure to the virus, weeks before the onset of ALT elevations or the appearance of anti-HCV. In some patients, the detection of HCV RNA may be the only evidence of HCV infection.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0101/p79.html
Am I over stressing?
YES
People who have a positive antibody test along with a negative RNA test have had an infection that has been cleared. He or she is not
infected now.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/PDFs/HepCTesting-Diagnosis.pdf
NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION = HCV RNA by PCR which you have already had
The diagnosis of HCV infection can also be made through detection of HCV RNA using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques (Figure 1). HCV RNA can be detected within one to two weeks after exposure to the virus, weeks before the onset of ALT elevations or the appearance of anti-HCV. In some patients, the detection of HCV RNA may be the only evidence of HCV infection.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0101/p79.html
Am I over stressing?
YES
So I know I shouldn't be online reading this stuff. But I've come across articles that suggest I might have tested at a time where the virus is down. So I wouldn't be one of the people who cleared the virus naturally ( because of immune system ) but only for the moment.
My doc told me to come back in 6 months. She said she talked to a heptologist as well.
I guess I should call her and find out what test were used to measure the viral load? Is it worth it? Am I over stressing?
My doc told me to come back in 6 months. She said she talked to a heptologist as well.
I guess I should call her and find out what test were used to measure the viral load? Is it worth it? Am I over stressing?
If you had Hepatitis C and you cleared it on your own, you no longer have active Hepatitis C.
However, you will always have the antibody in your blood. The antibody means only that you did contract Hepatitis C at some point in your life and that your body was able to fight it off by itself.
This is very good news for you. You no longer have the active virus in your body. It is gone. It will not come back on its own. The only way for you to get active Hepatitis C in the future is if you have another exposure to Hepatitis C and contract Hepatitis C from that exposure.
A certain percentage of people (about 20 %, although the figures vary) who are exposed to Hepatitis C are able to clear it on their own. The other 80 % cannot clear it on their own and they go on to develop chronic Hepatitis C.
Clearing it on your own means that when you were exposed to Hep C and contracted Hep C, the body's immune system recognized the Hep C as a foreign substance, launched an attack on the Hepatitis C virus, and successfully fought it off.
Those of us who have chronic Hep C were not successful in fighting off the virus on our own. So we still have active Hep C.
"What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
The hepatitis C virus was discovered in 1989. Prior to that, it was associated with blood transfusions, but was called non-A, non-B hepatitis because the virus could not be identified. It is now known that there are several genetic types (genotypes) of the hepatitis C virus.
The natural course of hepatitis C disease varies from one person to another.
The first phase of disease is called acute hepatitis C and covers the first 6 months after a person is infected. During this phase, most people show no symptoms at all. Among those who do have symptoms, the illness is usually so mild that most don't even recognize that they have liver disease.
In 15-40% of persons with acute hepatitis C, the immune system successfully fights off the infection, the virus is cleared from the body within 6 months, and the liver heals completely. In everyone else, the immune system cannot clear the virus, and hepatitis C infection persists past 6 months (usually for the rest of the person's life). This persistent state is known as chronic hepatitis C."
http://www.sfcdcp.com/hepatitisc.html
I hope this helps.
However, you will always have the antibody in your blood. The antibody means only that you did contract Hepatitis C at some point in your life and that your body was able to fight it off by itself.
This is very good news for you. You no longer have the active virus in your body. It is gone. It will not come back on its own. The only way for you to get active Hepatitis C in the future is if you have another exposure to Hepatitis C and contract Hepatitis C from that exposure.
A certain percentage of people (about 20 %, although the figures vary) who are exposed to Hepatitis C are able to clear it on their own. The other 80 % cannot clear it on their own and they go on to develop chronic Hepatitis C.
Clearing it on your own means that when you were exposed to Hep C and contracted Hep C, the body's immune system recognized the Hep C as a foreign substance, launched an attack on the Hepatitis C virus, and successfully fought it off.
Those of us who have chronic Hep C were not successful in fighting off the virus on our own. So we still have active Hep C.
"What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
The hepatitis C virus was discovered in 1989. Prior to that, it was associated with blood transfusions, but was called non-A, non-B hepatitis because the virus could not be identified. It is now known that there are several genetic types (genotypes) of the hepatitis C virus.
The natural course of hepatitis C disease varies from one person to another.
The first phase of disease is called acute hepatitis C and covers the first 6 months after a person is infected. During this phase, most people show no symptoms at all. Among those who do have symptoms, the illness is usually so mild that most don't even recognize that they have liver disease.
In 15-40% of persons with acute hepatitis C, the immune system successfully fights off the infection, the virus is cleared from the body within 6 months, and the liver heals completely. In everyone else, the immune system cannot clear the virus, and hepatitis C infection persists past 6 months (usually for the rest of the person's life). This persistent state is known as chronic hepatitis C."
http://www.sfcdcp.com/hepatitisc.html
I hope this helps.
Anybody that can explain the virus clearing naturally? The probability of it coming back?
So my doc called and said I'd cleared the virus naturally. Does that mean it could come back? I'm going to call her tomorrow because I don't understand. I'm just hoping to get some clarification. The way I understood it was once you have the virus you can only temporarily stop it with svr?
I definitely have it. My symptoms make sense to me now. But I thank you for the articles. I'll look into everything a bit more.
Thanks
Thanks
Try not to worry too much (easier said than done). You do not know if you actually have active Hep C disease yet.
However, since you are so concerned (which is normal), I do want to at least give you some updated material/data.
I am not sure where that 10% survival figure came from but I think it is outdated.
This is a stab in the dark because we don't know if you actually have Hep C and we do not know your Genotype if you do have it. However, in the past, Genotype 1 has been the most difficult to treat and Genotype 1 is the most common Genotype in the US.
It is true that African-Americans do not respond as well to treatment, but the response rate, at least for Genotype 1 African-Americans, has improved greatly with the addition of the new protease inhibitors.
Here is some information from an article from Aug. 2011. It discusses the improvement in cure rates among African-American since adding the new protease inhibitors:
"With telaprevir, black patients also showed marked improvements. In the Phase III ADVANCE trial, published in the June 23 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, 62% of black patients achieved a viral cure with telaprevir-based treatment, compared with 25% of those treated with standard therapy (Zeuzem S et al. 2011;364:2417-2428).
At this year’s Digestive Disease Week meeting, Steven L. Flamm, MD, professor of medicine and surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, presented results from a pooled analysis of telaprevir Phase III trials, which showed that patients had significant improvements in SVR with the addition of telaprevir, regardless of their race or ethnic status. The SVR among blacks more than doubled, from 25% to 62% after adding telaprevir. For non-blacks, the SVR was 75%—one of the closest reported SVR rates between the two racial groups in studies of hepatitis C therapies."
So you can see that the cure rate has increased considerable, up to 62% (for African-Americans with Genotype 1).
Here is the link to that article:
http://www.idse.net/ViewArticle.aspx?d=Hepatitis&d_id=213&i=August+2011&i_id=753&a_id=18872
Let us know your test results when you get them and we can offer much more information. Hopefully, you will not have Hep C.
However, since you are so concerned (which is normal), I do want to at least give you some updated material/data.
I am not sure where that 10% survival figure came from but I think it is outdated.
This is a stab in the dark because we don't know if you actually have Hep C and we do not know your Genotype if you do have it. However, in the past, Genotype 1 has been the most difficult to treat and Genotype 1 is the most common Genotype in the US.
It is true that African-Americans do not respond as well to treatment, but the response rate, at least for Genotype 1 African-Americans, has improved greatly with the addition of the new protease inhibitors.
Here is some information from an article from Aug. 2011. It discusses the improvement in cure rates among African-American since adding the new protease inhibitors:
"With telaprevir, black patients also showed marked improvements. In the Phase III ADVANCE trial, published in the June 23 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, 62% of black patients achieved a viral cure with telaprevir-based treatment, compared with 25% of those treated with standard therapy (Zeuzem S et al. 2011;364:2417-2428).
At this year’s Digestive Disease Week meeting, Steven L. Flamm, MD, professor of medicine and surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, presented results from a pooled analysis of telaprevir Phase III trials, which showed that patients had significant improvements in SVR with the addition of telaprevir, regardless of their race or ethnic status. The SVR among blacks more than doubled, from 25% to 62% after adding telaprevir. For non-blacks, the SVR was 75%—one of the closest reported SVR rates between the two racial groups in studies of hepatitis C therapies."
So you can see that the cure rate has increased considerable, up to 62% (for African-Americans with Genotype 1).
Here is the link to that article:
http://www.idse.net/ViewArticle.aspx?d=Hepatitis&d_id=213&i=August+2011&i_id=753&a_id=18872
Let us know your test results when you get them and we can offer much more information. Hopefully, you will not have Hep C.
Im trying to have faith at the moment. Anybody else with any help would be greatly appreciated. A big thanks to everyone that has contributed already.
The disturbing part of this is being African American. I'll hope to be in that 10% that survives.
The disturbing part of this is being African American. I'll hope to be in that 10% that survives.
Well I freaked on my doctor today. So she got back with me today.
She said she had some of the results but not all.
Test still reactive but no signs of kidney or liver failure.
Still waiting to hear of actual viral replication...
=(
She said she had some of the results but not all.
Test still reactive but no signs of kidney or liver failure.
Still waiting to hear of actual viral replication...
=(
"Recently Diagnosed Hep C"-- Not quiet yet
Actually you have only had a weakly positive antibodies test, the other test is a confirmation test.
Hepatitis C Viral RNA, Quantitative Real-Time PCR 35645
CPT Code(s): 87522
Linear range: 43 - 69,000,000 IU/mL 1.63 - 7.84 log IU/mL
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/testcenter/OrderInfo.action?fn=35645.html&labCode=SJC
Approx 20% of all people who come into contact with HCV clear the virus through their own immune system but will always test positive for the antibodies, that is why a PCR test is needed for a confirmation of an active infection, considering yours is weakly positive it could very well be a false positive or you could 1 of the 20% mentioned above.
Actually you have only had a weakly positive antibodies test, the other test is a confirmation test.
Hepatitis C Viral RNA, Quantitative Real-Time PCR 35645
CPT Code(s): 87522
Linear range: 43 - 69,000,000 IU/mL 1.63 - 7.84 log IU/mL
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/testcenter/OrderInfo.action?fn=35645.html&labCode=SJC
Approx 20% of all people who come into contact with HCV clear the virus through their own immune system but will always test positive for the antibodies, that is why a PCR test is needed for a confirmation of an active infection, considering yours is weakly positive it could very well be a false positive or you could 1 of the 20% mentioned above.
I agree with the others. You probably did not get Hep C from the sexual encounter. However, if your test comes back as positive for active Hep C, you may have contracted it years ago via tattoos and/or body piercings if the equipment was contaminated, contaminated blood products (if before 1993), occupational exposure if you are in the health care field or some other job that would put you in contact with contaminated needles or sharps, renal dialysis, contaminated medical or dental equipment, etc. If your mother had Hep C when you were born, she could have passed it to you.
If I was you, I would wait for the tests to come back. Hopefully they will be negative for active Hep C. IF the tests are positive for active Hep C then they will do a Genotype test to see which Genotype you have. The Genotype determines which treatment regimen is used.
Again, IF you do have active Hep C all is not dismal. Almost all of us on the forum have Hep C and have had it for 10-40 years. Hep C is not generally a rapidly progressing disease (although when you hit 45 or 50 it often progresses more rapidly). Most of us are in treatment of one sort of the other (depending on Genotype). People can and do clear Hep C. The odds are pretty good for a successful treatment now.
IF the tests do come back and state that you have active Hep C, please post again and let us know what the test says (viral load and Genotype). Then we can better respond.
We do have some African American forum members and I know for sure that one of them has cleared the virus and is waiting for her 6 month post end of treatment test to see if she attained a cure.
Please post your lab results when you get them and ask any questions you may have concerning them or anything else.
Best of luck to you.
If I was you, I would wait for the tests to come back. Hopefully they will be negative for active Hep C. IF the tests are positive for active Hep C then they will do a Genotype test to see which Genotype you have. The Genotype determines which treatment regimen is used.
Again, IF you do have active Hep C all is not dismal. Almost all of us on the forum have Hep C and have had it for 10-40 years. Hep C is not generally a rapidly progressing disease (although when you hit 45 or 50 it often progresses more rapidly). Most of us are in treatment of one sort of the other (depending on Genotype). People can and do clear Hep C. The odds are pretty good for a successful treatment now.
IF the tests do come back and state that you have active Hep C, please post again and let us know what the test says (viral load and Genotype). Then we can better respond.
We do have some African American forum members and I know for sure that one of them has cleared the virus and is waiting for her 6 month post end of treatment test to see if she attained a cure.
Please post your lab results when you get them and ask any questions you may have concerning them or anything else.
Best of luck to you.
Hep C is transmitted blood to blood.
It is not an STD and the only way it is transmitted sexually is when, again there is blood to blood.
You can have hep C for years without showing any signs.
As nygirl mentioned, if you have it, is not likely to have come from this encounter.
Practice safe sex, and you'll relieve yourself of these concerns.
It is not an STD and the only way it is transmitted sexually is when, again there is blood to blood.
You can have hep C for years without showing any signs.
As nygirl mentioned, if you have it, is not likely to have come from this encounter.
Practice safe sex, and you'll relieve yourself of these concerns.
Drinking does not give you HIV or HCV and HCV is not an STD whether it's for one minute or for one hour. HCV is a blood to blood disease....not a sexually transmitted disease. Dont put the cart before the horse most likely you are not infected. Unless perhaps you were by a dentist, or medical procedure or something. Much more likely than a one minute sexual encounter/
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Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
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Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
IMO the first weakly positive (EIA) antibody test was a false positive but that is neither here nor there, the good news is you do not have hep c.
Have a great day