How to confirm if cured from HCV?
Patient: MY WIFE HAVE GOT HCV RNA QUANTITATIVE VIRAL LOAD BY TAQ MAN <15 IU/ML AFTER 24 WEEKS OF TREATMENT BY PEGINTERFERON AND RIVBARIN FOR GENOTYPE 3 HEPATITIS C VIRUS. KINDLY TELL ME THIS <15 IU/ML MEANS NEGATIVE HCV OR STILL SHE IS INFECTED WITH HCV VIRUS. PLZ TELL ME THAT TREATMENT WAS SUCCESSFUL OR NOT AND SHE WILL HAV ANOTHER PROBLEM IN FUTURE BECAUSE OF THIS? Doctor: Hi! I am Dr. Saddiq and i would like to look into your concerns. I would briefly describe the course of actions from this point onwards.1. Yours wife's PCR report is suggestive as if it was a qualitative PCR analysis and not that quantitative one, because for qualitative ones they have a certain cut off value and its testing limitations down to a certain viral load, which in this case was less than 15 IU/ml. That tells us that her viral load was so less (or either negative) to be detected in the test. in any case, briefly speaking she has responded well to treatment which is a good news.2. The next step would be having a quantitative PCR every six months for one year, and then yearly for three years to see for a sustained virological response (SVR). If it stayed negative, no action is suggested.3. If it becomes positive, upto a certain viral load, than that would be called as treatment relapse, and in such case either repetition of whole peg interferon therapy for another six months is recommended or use of new antiviral drugs, which were in pipeline previously and now been recommended by different drug authorities ti b used in certain countries. The one in use for genotype 3 is Tab.Sibasfovir. If i were your wives physician, then God forbid if in the case of a relapse, I would have opted for Sibasfovir instead of a second course of interferon as it has been shown to have more effectiveness then the previous one. It is recommended as 400mg tab. once daily for six months, alongwith the usual dose of Ribavirin.