MRSA and HCV

[Chugen]

Hey everybody! I joined your group yesterday and have been reading the comments for hours. All summer I have had MRSA, UTI's and pneumonia. Am I correct that this is related to HCV and will GI Doc be able to help when I see him next week?

[Chugen]

Thanks everybody! I am accepting this diagnosis because suddenly I am sad.

[Diane12855]

Just wanted to add that MRSA, UTIs and pneumonia are caused by bacteria. The body's defense against bacterial invasion is the WBCs, more precisely the neutrophils. These are also reduced during treatment for HCV so if you decide to do the treatment make sure that your doctor knows about all of these infections first so he can keep a good close eye on things.

Diane

[Diane12855]

I had liver panels every year for 6 years and they all came back normal until this past January which is when I found out I have HCV. My biopsy showed I have stage 2 grade 2 damage. You can't assume anything with this disease. Please get a biopsy to find out how much damage you have and then you can make a good decision about when you should treat.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is that liver damage from HCV tends to accelerate after 50.

Diane

[ClippedWings]

Not necessarily.  I had annual military physicals for over twenty years and FAA flight physicals once a year after that and I never knew I had Hepatitis C until I started feeling the effects of cirrhosis.  For most people in good health, a liver panel is not a normal part of a physical.  Lots of people on this board did not find out they have HCV until they were quite ill as the liver typically doesn't "complain" much.  You need to take the time to find out how extensive (if any) liver damage you have and the gold standard for that is a biopsy.  Good Luck.

[Trinity4]

"Hey everybody! I joined your group yesterday and have been reading the comments for hours. All summer I have had MRSA, UTI's and pneumonia. Am I correct that this is related to HCV and will GI Doc be able to help when I see him next week? "
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chugen, if you read here long enough you will find there are those that attribute many or all of their medical problems to HCV when in fact HCV has nothing to do with it and is not causing the problems.  Be cautious and don't believe everything you read.

Trinity

[spectda]

Hi-
As you said it normally takes decades to develop complications and liver damage from hcv. Most doctors do not test for it unless there is a known risk. Most of us in our 40s-60s have already had the disease for decades.

Many of us (not all of us) have an idea of the generally time period when we got the disease. I assume I contracted it about 30 years ago from iv drug use (been clean for thirty years almost). Many people contracted it from transfusions and other medical procedures before they were able to detect hcv in the blood supply.

I had no symptoms or damage to my liver until the past few years. No indication that I was sick. That is why it's important that you see a hepatologist (liver specialist) or a GI doc that is very experienced with hcv. If you have medical insurance you should be fully diagnosed with your genotype, viral load (count), a liver biopsy, liver enzymes, blood counts...

I know you have a lot on your plate, but the disease is often silent and without symptoms until a person has advanced disease. I don't mean to scare you in any way. I just think it's important to really know what your condition is. Of course you have the right to let nature takes it's course if that is what you choose, but it's always good to make an informed decision and you can't do that without knowing your true condition.

Take Care,
- Dave