Is my viral count is very high?

[Doofus_jones]

30/08/2012    -        HCV RNA   result: 1.9x102    GENOTYPE: 2B

[orphanedhawk]

Hmmm,  I saw the article and think it's debatable.

BTW: As a geno 2, my viral load was much higher post transplant than pre-transplant and my hepatologist based my riba on weight, not viral load.

Doofus, Thanks :))

[jules2551]

As cited in the article above genotype 2 viral loads are taken into consideration with treatment duration and riba dosage.

I never said viral loads equated with liver damage. Mine was 700,000 and Im G2/S3

[Doofus_jones]

Hawk - You're a star!

[orphanedhawk]

I have seen some references that viral loads do make a difference for genotype 3s.

All I know is I was diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis, had ESLD with ascites and my viral load was 750,000.
The doctor I talked to was exasperated about viral loads, and she's the one who told me viral loads do not equate liver damage.  

When people show up here, often newly diagnosed, the large numbers can send them into panic mode. I always try to get them to focus on the health of their liver over some viral load number.

[jules2551]

There is some evidence to suggest that genotype 2 and 3 may respond differently to treatment; overall SVR rates tend to be somewhat lower for genotype 3 patients who do not achieve an RVR compared with genotype 2 patients who do not achieve RVR, and also after shorter treatment duration in patients who do achieve RVR [9,50,51,53,54]. Whether genotype 3-infected individuals should not therefore be considered for shorter duration therapy requires further investigation.

Baseline HCV RNA levels also influence SVR rates and patients with low pre-treatment serum HCV RNA levels and RVR have been reported to respond equally well to both 16 and 24 weeks of therapy (SVR rates of 82–100% and 81–100%, respectively) [9,49,50,53]. It is possible, therefore, that these patients may be considered for shorter treatment duration.

Genotype 2 and 3 infected patients with severe fibrosis are less likely to achieve either RVR or SVR, and to relapse more frequently following 12–14 weeks of antiviral therapy [9,49,51,53]. Andriulli et al. found that patients with low pre-treatment ALT levels were also found to relapse more frequently following shorter treatment duration (14% after 12–14 weeks vs 2% after 24 weeks; P=0.04) [51]. These findings suggest that patients with severe fibrosis or normal pre-treatment ALT levels are most likely unsuitable candidates for short-term treatment, but prospective studies are needed to confirm these observations.

Optimizing response by reducing relapse rates in patients with HCV genotypes 2 and 3

There is evidence that patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3 and higher baseline viral load have lower rates of SVR and higher relapse rates after 24 weeks of treatment than those with lower HCV RNA baseline levels [9,32,50,55], and that, in patients without RVR, the lowest rates of relapse are obtained with 48 weeks of treatment and a higher RBV dose [11]. Whether increasing treatment duration would help reduce relapse rates in patients with high baseline viral load requires further evaluation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759987/

[orphanedhawk]

I'm not going to answer this because viral counts are not relevant.
What is important is the condition of your liver.

I had a low viral count and had advanced cirrhosis. A friend with a much higher one had no liver damage.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive but just forget about viral counts. The only thing they are useful for is showing the amount of progress while under treatment.