Just found out on second blood test. My hep c is genotype 2b. Is that really bad? I got it in the mail..Dr.?

is too busy to explain.. I got a letter saying they'll contact me with liver specialist. Might take two weeks to get into my liver dr.

Just found out on second blood test. My hep c is genotype 2b. Is that really bad? I got it in the mail..Dr.?
YEAH! GREAT NEWS!!!!! genotype 2b is the EASIEST to treat!!!! If all goes well, you will only be on treatment 6 months!


It has the greatest response rate to antiviral chemotherapy!!!!!





BE HAPPY! Just another reason to hop on the chemo wagon for sure!!!!!





(I know this sounds strange, but trust me! Not all genotypes are easy to treat with the goal in mind- sustained (cured).





Be thankful!!!!
Reply:the good news is there is plenty of support, online,phone,in person and your doc! Report It

Reply:I was afraid, but I was also glad to hear that it wasn't just "all in my head" for most of my life.


Being afraid is normal, however, with water intake you will do just fine! Report It

Reply:Alexis,


If you have to have hep c, genotype 2 is the best to have. There is an 80-90% chance of the treatment working. With genotype 1, it is more like 50%, so your odds are better than most. Most people in the US have genotype 1, by the way.


One caution; if your doctor is too busy to talk to you to explain, that's not good care. However, since your primary care doctor will not be treating you for hep c, make sure your gastroenterologist is one who will take the time to answer your questions. Also, make sure his practice is not so big %26amp; busy that your phone calls don't get returned. One other thing, you want a gastroenterologist who has a large percentage of his practice treating hep c patients. You don't want to be one of only a few people. You want someone who is well experienced with treatment and up to date on the latest research findings. A good, well experienced doctor will tailor your treatment to meet your needs.


Write down any questions you have prior to your appointment. It's real easy to forget what you want to ask when you are in the exam room.


Hope this helps.
Reply:It is much easier to talk of the Hepatitis C virus as if it is a single organism but in fact it is a range of viruses, similar enough to be called Hepatitis C virus, yet different enough to be classified into subgroups.





Viruses are microscopic and no person could ever see them with the naked eye. Indeed, HCV is so small that there's been no confirmed actual sighting of it using any type of microscope yet developed.





Consequently, a better way to understand the terms HCV 'genotypes' and 'subtypes' is to compare them to things that we can more readily relate to.





Genotypes





The group of birds we call 'raptors' (birds of prey) have evolved into different main types. Imagining raptors as being Hepatitis C viruses, you could take one major raptor type, such as eagles, and imagine these as being one of HCV's main types (genotypes).





Subtypes





But eagles as a group are made up of different sub types such as the American Bald Eagle and Australia's Wedge Tailed Eagle and Sea Eagle. You could imagine each of these as being one of the HCV subtypes that make up an HCV genotype.





Quasispecies





Within each of above particular types of eagles, there are further differences. All Wedge Tailed Eagles, for example, differ from each other in regard to wing span, weight, color, beak size, etc. Similarly, within a Hepatitis C sub-type, individual viruses differ from each other ever so slightly. Such viral differences are not significant enough to form another sub-type but instead form what's known as quasi-species. It is believed that within an HCV sub-type, several million quasispecies may exist. Scientists predict that people who have Hepatitis C, have billions of actual viruses circulating within their body. Although there may be one or two predominant sub-types, the infection as a whole is not a single entity and is composed of many different quasispecies.





Classifications





Biologists are generally not known for creativity when it comes to naming things - hence Hepatitis C virus. The most commonly used classification of Hepatitis C virus has HCV divided into the following genotypes (main types): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. As we've highlighted, HCV genotypes can be broken down into sub-types, some of which include:





1a, 1b, 1c


2a, 2b, 2c


3a, 3b


4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e


5a


6a


7a, 7b


8a, 8b


9a


10a


11a








Genotype patterns





It is believed that theHhepatitis C virus has evolved over a period of several thousand years. This would explain the current general global patterns of genotypes and subtypes:





1a - mostly found in North %26amp; South America; also common in Australia


1b - mostly found in Europe and Asia.


2a - is the most common genotype 2 in Japan and China.


2b - is the most common genotype 2 in the U.S. and Northern Europe.


2c - the most common genotype 2 in Western and Southern Europe.


3a - highly prevalent here in Australia (40% of cases) and South Asia.


4a - highly prevalent in Egypt


4c - highly prevalent in Central Africa


5a - highly prevalent only in South Africa


6a - restricted to Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam


7a and 7b - common in Thailand


8a, 8b %26amp; 9a - prevalent in Vietnam


10a %26amp; 11a - found in Indonesia





It's believed that of the estimated 160,000 Australians with HCV, approx. 35% have subtype '1a', 15% have '1b', 7% have '2', 35% have '3' (mostly being 3a). The remaining people would have other genotypes.





Genotype and treatment





Current scientific belief is that factors such as duration of a person's HCV infection, their HCV viral load, age, grade of liver inflammation or stage of fibrosis may play an important role in determining response to interferon treatment. Recent studies have suggested that a person's HCV subtype (or subtypes) may influence their possible response to interferon, or interferon-ribavirin combination treatment.





Hope this helps
Reply:If you were seriously ill, the doctor would not make


you wait that long.





Take it as a good sign.





Be encouraged.





I am.





You are going to be fine!!!





You are!!!