Ask Your Questions About-HCV! of our Hepatitis Experts:

Genotypes; HCV affect in other organs besides liver; once daily IFN dosing

Dr Chung:

I hope I am not overstaying my welcome, but I have three different question groups I would like to put to the good doctors:

1. Is it possible to be infected by more than one genotype or sub-type?

RC: Yes.

If so, do the tests detect it?

RC: Many commercial tests can.

If this is possible, how do the separate genotypes affect response to treatment? if genotype 1 is present, then it dictates the response rate.

from Jules Levin: genotype 1 response to therapy is less than genotype 2).

2. Besides the liver, what other organs and systems are directly affected by the HCV virus?

RC: Kidneys, skin, joints,nerves can also be affected as a result of immune complexes formed by response to virus.

3. Why is not Intron A simply given in smaller daily doses instead of the odd schedule of 3x weekly, which does not give a consistent separation between doses?

RC: Good question, the inconvenience of daily injections was thought to be prohibitive, but many of us before PEG did this in our patients who did not respond. Would daily dosing be any more effective than 3x? it is in several series, but not all, but I would expect PEG to take up this void now.