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Hep C Discussion Forum -> General Discussion -> Are gallstones related to cirrhosis / HCV ?
Post Info TOPIC: Are gallstones related to cirrhosis / HCV ?
JoAnneh


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RE: Are gallstones related to cirrhosis / HCV ?
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I have ultrasound every 6 months plus bloodwork to check for HCC.
MRI would be most accurate but insurance pays for ultrasound.
I gad my gallbladder removed 3 yrs ago. It took a while to recover.
I had digestion discomfort for months afterwards. On hind sight I would have kept the gallbladder. As Malcomb mentioned stones are common.

JoAnne

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JoAnne

Genotype 1a, Triple therapy w/Invicek started May 19, 2012

DET 4 wk. UND 2,6,12,24 48 treatment. Achieved SVR 2013!
wmlj1960


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  Thanks Malcolm for easing my mind. I've been dealing with mistake after mistake with my medical services for the last 5+ months and really didn't need a gallbladder issue to add to the equation.

 I had an appointment with my hepatologist 2 days ago and he changed my followup MRI schedule to every 6 months now. That was good news! He said the lab results from 4-15-15 look good but someone made a mistake and a viral load test was not done (not a surprise to me). They drew more blood for that so I should have results sometime in the next few days. I'm hoping for EOT + 15wks UND SVR smile

 



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60 yo, geno 1a, Dx 1994 HCV-HIV co-inf, Dx 2013 decompensated cirrhosis
Tx #1 - 24wks Sov+Riba /SOT 7-24-2014/UND@EOT/DETECTED@EOT+16 wks
Tx #2 - 24wks Harvoni /SOT 7-25-2015/UND@EOT,+12,+24,+52 = SVR

Mike

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mallani


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Hi Mike,

Firstly, gallstones are common. There is an increased risk of gallstones in HCV patients with various studies reporting up to 30% of patients. This is even higher in cirrhotics, and oddly, more common in males.

They are no big deal. I've had gallstones for at least 20 years, and I've watched them grow. They don't cause any problems and there's no way I'm having them out unless they cause trouble.

In your case, the previous MRI on 7th Jan. mentioned gallbladder sludge. 'Sludge' can mean small gallstones, depending on the Radiologist. They will probably grow and just be aware of them, in case you get acute abdominal pain.

Your 'lesion' in segment 5 sounds like an haemangioma, considering it has delayed washout. It may be a dysplastic nodule. It's not a HCC as these have intense arterial enhancement after contrast and rapid washout. You're doing the right thing getting followup, although every 3 months sounds a bit keen.

The cause for the increased incidence of gallstones is debated. Pigment stones may be due to bile stasis and fatty liver and insulin resistance probably play a part. A cirrhotic liver often has poor bile drainage from regenerative nodules. Cheers mate.



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Geno 1b, IL28B CT,  x3 prior relapser,  ex-cirrhotic, 75 yo, did 48 weeks with Victrelis/Peg./Riba.  VL 1.28m at start, UNDET. at 8 ,12 ,16 ,24 ,30  and 48 weeks.  EOT 15 Feb 2013 , UNDET. at EOT + 28 weeks. SVR!  Still Undet. at EOT +5 years

Malcolm
wmlj1960


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 I've been having MRI'S done every 3 months for the past ~1 year looking for possible HCC. The latest MRI done 0n 4-15 mentions gallstones as opposed to all other MRI final reports that I've had which do not mention this (see attachments). I'm wondering if this find is a newly acquired issue or is it just what is noteworthy to a different person writing the report?

 Can gallstones be a result of poor liver function or a result of many years of Hep C?

MRI final report 1-7-2015 JPEG.jpgMRI final report 4-15-15 jpeg.jpg 



-- Edited by wmlj1960 on Thursday 23rd of April 2015 04:45:51 AM

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60 yo, geno 1a, Dx 1994 HCV-HIV co-inf, Dx 2013 decompensated cirrhosis
Tx #1 - 24wks Sov+Riba /SOT 7-24-2014/UND@EOT/DETECTED@EOT+16 wks
Tx #2 - 24wks Harvoni /SOT 7-25-2015/UND@EOT,+12,+24,+52 = SVR

Mike

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