Reoccurance of Hap C

[abbasrizvi]

Hi, my name is Abbas. My mother is a patient of Hap C. A few years ago she was diagnosed positive of the virus. She underwent the regular treatment which involved Interferon. The treatment lasted 6 months which involved a total of 24 injections. As for then after the treatment the doctor confirmed that her viral activity had become negative. The doctor then told us that it would never reoccur once it was negative.
Apparently, a few months back my mother started noticing swellings in her body, (Edema) which was an initial reason how it was diagnosed before. Our suspicion grew so we consulted the doctor again. Earlier today after her tests she showed positive viral activity.
My question is that is it possible for it a Hap C Virus to reoccur, and is there a possibility that it might be regulated or stopped once again through the usage of Interferon? Kindly advice...

Thanks,

Abbas

[mikesimon]

That's my take - she was never SVR. Undetectable at the EOT doesn't equal SVR. I would guess that she relapsed.
Mike

[jmjm530]

of course I could be wrong, but I think the possibility that his mother was never really cured  is greater than the possibility of reinfection, as you suggest. Of course if his mother was cured -- meaning she tested undetectable for the virus six months after the end of treatment -- then yes, reinfection would be what might've happened.

[desrt]

The doctor was not correct - even if the virus becomes undetectable and stays undetectable for a year after treatment, your body does not acquire immunity the way you would with hepatitis A or B. If she treats again, she may need to treat longer than 24 weeks or add a third drug to the treatment. Do you know her genotype?

[jmjm530]

Sorry about your mother.

The only way your doctor could be sure that the hepatitis C would not come back is if your mother tested undetectable for the virus six months after stopping the interferon. The fact that the virus was gone at the end of the treatment does not in and of itself mean the treatment was successful.

yes, possibilities still exist for successful treatment. However, before you make any sort of decision you really have to find out what went wrong the first time. Because if you repeat the same treatment, you may end up with the same result.

Curious, did your mother take ribavirin pills with the interferon? without the pills, the chances of her being cured are not nearly as good. Also, do they routinely do biopsies in your country? I wouldn't suggest a biopsy unless people were expert in it, but if they are a biopsy might be a good next step. The biopsy will tell you how much liver damage her mother has and how important it is for her to treat right now.

-- Jim