Sunday, July 05, 2009
Using the word "CURED" and Hep C in the same sentence
There are 5 million Americans and 200 million people world wide with the disease. To suggest there is a cure is to minimize the suffering these victims of Hep C endure.
To begin at the end: [quote] To recap: The current treatment for Hep C can ~cure~ 50% of patients that are Geno 1 -- that attempt it -- that are not Black or Hispanic -- that can endure and/or afford the life altering, life threatening treatment side effects for a period of one to two years and maintain that ~cured~ status for another 2 years.
In closing: If you are not in this ~cured~ category you are called a -non responder- and there is no ~cure~ for you. [unquote]
To begin: The current treatment is considered a ~cure~ IF You can maintain treatment (for one to two years) some of which side effects are listed here:
~Near death unrelated illness brought about by treatment
~Unable to function at the work place
~Psychosis
~On the disclosure list of one popular drug treating Hep C right now there are 19 sentences, each one filled with side affects. The 19th sentence explains that not all the side effects have been listed. And I have not addressed the "Warning" section.
So, get through that 1-2 year treatment, then achieve ~Sustain Viral Response~ (SVR) for another 2 years and you are considered ~cured~ to some (not all) medical doctors. Some (of the few) doctors who believe this to be a cure have written articles about it in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors with opposing views have also written articles on the subject in the New England Journal of Medicine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's break this achievement of ~cured~ down to reality for the average US Hepatitis C victim:
1) Regarding SVR The current blood tests for HCV can only detect the disease to a certain point. With the current treatment the virus can be pushed below this point and the patient becomes SVR. At anytime while SVR, undetectable reactions can take place that allow the virus to multiply and become detectable again. Take note, within the last 6 years if a patient could maintain SVR for 1 year they were considered ~cured~ Now the bar has been raised to 2 years. It is a logical assumption to make that enough patients relapsed from SVR to have the medical community move the bar.
2) Common Genotype in America The most common Genotype in America is Genotype 1. The current treatment available to patients of Hep C (Geno 1) obtain SVR 50%** of the time if you are NOT African American OR Latino, OR Mexican OR Hispanic (these cultures respond 20-30 % of the time to treatment, when ~they~ can endure and/or afford treatment).
**This 50% is not for the entire population of Hep C victims but only the patients that have been brave enough (or have the monetary means) to try it. If every single Hep C victim were given the means to ~attempt~ the treatment, this 50% figure would most definitely change. No one knows in which direction.
To recap: The current treatment for Hep C can ~cure~ 50% of patients that are Geno 1 -- that attempt it -- that are not Black or Hispanic -- that can endure and/or afford the life altering, life threatening treatment side effects for a period of one to two years and maintain that ~cured~ status for another 2 years.
In closing: If you are not in this ~cured~ category you are called a -non responder- and there is no ~cure~ for you.
To begin at the end: [quote] To recap: The current treatment for Hep C can ~cure~ 50% of patients that are Geno 1 -- that attempt it -- that are not Black or Hispanic -- that can endure and/or afford the life altering, life threatening treatment side effects for a period of one to two years and maintain that ~cured~ status for another 2 years.
In closing: If you are not in this ~cured~ category you are called a -non responder- and there is no ~cure~ for you. [unquote]
To begin: The current treatment is considered a ~cure~ IF You can maintain treatment (for one to two years) some of which side effects are listed here:
~Near death unrelated illness brought about by treatment
~Unable to function at the work place
~Psychosis
~On the disclosure list of one popular drug treating Hep C right now there are 19 sentences, each one filled with side affects. The 19th sentence explains that not all the side effects have been listed. And I have not addressed the "Warning" section.
So, get through that 1-2 year treatment, then achieve ~Sustain Viral Response~ (SVR) for another 2 years and you are considered ~cured~ to some (not all) medical doctors. Some (of the few) doctors who believe this to be a cure have written articles about it in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors with opposing views have also written articles on the subject in the New England Journal of Medicine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's break this achievement of ~cured~ down to reality for the average US Hepatitis C victim:
1) Regarding SVR The current blood tests for HCV can only detect the disease to a certain point. With the current treatment the virus can be pushed below this point and the patient becomes SVR. At anytime while SVR, undetectable reactions can take place that allow the virus to multiply and become detectable again. Take note, within the last 6 years if a patient could maintain SVR for 1 year they were considered ~cured~ Now the bar has been raised to 2 years. It is a logical assumption to make that enough patients relapsed from SVR to have the medical community move the bar.
2) Common Genotype in America The most common Genotype in America is Genotype 1. The current treatment available to patients of Hep C (Geno 1) obtain SVR 50%** of the time if you are NOT African American OR Latino, OR Mexican OR Hispanic (these cultures respond 20-30 % of the time to treatment, when ~they~ can endure and/or afford treatment).
**This 50% is not for the entire population of Hep C victims but only the patients that have been brave enough (or have the monetary means) to try it. If every single Hep C victim were given the means to ~attempt~ the treatment, this 50% figure would most definitely change. No one knows in which direction.
To recap: The current treatment for Hep C can ~cure~ 50% of patients that are Geno 1 -- that attempt it -- that are not Black or Hispanic -- that can endure and/or afford the life altering, life threatening treatment side effects for a period of one to two years and maintain that ~cured~ status for another 2 years.
In closing: If you are not in this ~cured~ category you are called a -non responder- and there is no ~cure~ for you.
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