Ask Your Colleagues About:

Treatment Strategies
  

Hep C

Posted: Feb 19, 2003

QUESTION:

There are reports stating that HCV is curable in half of HIV-infected patients. How is "curable" defined. It is widely understood that a virus can not be cured but just treated and the immune system surpresses a virus and keeps it in check. Is the term "cured" correct or is it in regression and at what levels?


  

RESPONSE FROM:   

    Curable is one of those dangerous terms--- nevertheless, in a large proportion of persons with HIV who are coinfected with HCV, combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin can produce durable HCV virologic suppresion (known as "sustained virologic response") months after treatment is discontinued.

    This is a key point, since virologic suppression can lead to reversal of liver injury and prevention of cirrhosis or other compliations. Persons with HCV genotypes 2 or 3 respond best to treatment and are most likely to have SVRs.




Terms of Use: Please remember that this forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not engaged through this forum in rendering legal or medical advice or professional services. Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Questions and messages posted to this forum are not statements of advice, opinion, or information of The Body PRO, Body Health Resources Corporation or any sponsor of this forum.

Visitors submitting questions remain solely responsible for the content of their messages. Information provided by experts is general only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease, or relied upon as legal or other professional advice. This information is not a substitute for professional advice or care.

powered by ExpertViewpoint

global Toolbox