Hep C Discussion Forum

I agree as I was probably infected in the early 70's and clean and sober since may 1987 so with the healthy change in life style I only progressed to a 3/4 for liver damage.  Researching the older articles really made me scared and angry, it was this forum that gave me up to date information and the support and courage to get through the treatment no matter what. It also inspired me to do pro bono work for the new agency for Hep C we are trying to get more up to date information by once a month having people come in, still very hard to get past the stigma of Hep C much like the past when dealing with profesonal and public about Addictions

Hi Gerald,

This is a very interesting topic, and it is confusing as many of the articles are old.  Remember, HepC has only been recognised for 23 years. This is what I have learned from Research papers, Hepatologists and Pathologists:

Many factors affect the progression of fibrosis. Some of these are age of infection, time since infection, presence of other liver diseases ( HIV, HBV), male sex (up until menopause when females become equally affected), continuing to drink alcohol, Viral Load, ALT levels (supposedly proportional to the amount of liver inflammation) and possibly Genotype (some Researchers think Geno 3 and 1 progress faster).

During the first 10 years of infection, progression of fibrosis is usually slow. During the second decade of infection, progression of fibrosis increases. In the third decade of infection, progression is rapid. In other words, it is non-linear, and many have tried to quantify it.

Many papers state that all patients with untreated chronic HCV will eventually develop cirrhosis. Some researchers even have 'proven' that it takes 30 years to develop cirrhosis.  One paper even stated that the mean age for developing cirrhosis in males was 65 years. This interested me, as I was 65 y.o. when diagnosed with cirrhosis!  Other papers give different ages for the development of cirrhosis, based on the age at the time of infection. A lot of this has yet to be generally accepted , but one thing is clear. The old teaching that only 15-30% of chronic HepC patients will develop cirrhosis is no longer valid. All HepC patients develop liver damage eventually, and if left untreated, this damage will continue and accelerate with age.

Providing you do not have any other risk factors, it is best to assume that chronic HepC is a progressive disease. Only a biopsy or Fibroscan will tell you where you are, and whether Rx is urgent.

Hi gerewolf,

                  yes the figures are correct. But unfortunately nobody knows to which group he will belong.

So therapy is the only way to reduce the risk. But I would never begin now with therapy a few months prior approval of sofosbuvir.

cheers