Hep C Discussion Forum

mallani · Guru

RE: Anyone here got HCV from sex?

newtohep · Member

Of course, I will let her know. And if she chooses to walk away she will be justified in doing that. Thanks again, you guys have been wonderful. When one becomes aware that one has a disease, one faces a lot of mental issues too. Its good to have people who listen without being judgemental. Thank you, I hope to make friends on this site, and in a year or 2, when I have sufficient information, I hope I pass on information to the newbies on this site, and join you in the wonderful work that you all have been doing.

Tig · Admin

No, I don't believe for a second that you got it from gargling. I honestly don't believe you got it through sexual contact, it is extremely rare. I can't be the one to suggest what you say to your girlfriend, but you should let her know that you have tested positive for the virus. It is entirely possible that you got it from your blood transfusion versus the sexual contact. Many of us went for decades before finding out we were positive. It's not unusual at all. What you share with her is something you have to decide. Marriage is a huge step in life and I think honesty is the best way to start your new life together. Good luck with your decision.

newtohep · Member

Hi everyone Thank you for the warm welcome. I have always perceived myself to be a strong individual. But right now I am crumbling. I did not have any open wound, none. that I could see. is it possible that I ingested some vaginal fluid while gargling and that is what caused the infection? I am engaged to be married in the next few months. I do not know how do I break the news to her. Thank you all for listening.

Matt Chris · Guru

Hello newtohep

Wow you have got a lot of issues to resolve. It sounds like you have learned a important life lesson and more to come. Your Hepatologist should be able to guide you in the correct course for treatment on HCV or HIV. It's blood to blood contact causes more than 99% in HCV infections so if their was no blood it's unlikely. Since you mentioned about your life is crumbling but you are strong then you should own up to your mistake about the work affair and then work to repair your life and future the best you can.

All of us have made mistakes but it's how we respond and change our course that makes the difference in our future success and I hope this is how your going to look at this.

Hoping it all works out in the end.

Matt

-- Edited by Matt Chris on Monday 11th of November 2013 02:15:48 AM

Tig · Admin

Newtohep, welcome to the forum, you've found a group of knowledgeable, caring individuals. Try to not over stress yourself, it doesn't help and often just makes you feel worse. I have to agree with everyone else, the chance that you contracted HCV through sex is very rare. In 30+ years of marriage and lots of unprotected sex, my wife continues to test negative for the virus. I've got genotype 1a and likely contracted it 1980-82 from unsterile tattooing. I didn't discover I was HCV positive until 1996 and failed treatment then. I didn't attempt treatment again until May of this year and will complete triple therapy in one month. So far so good! I want to mention that I've had the virus for 30+ years and while my liver damage isn't minor but it certainly isn't major in nature either. So it is entirely possible to be positive for the virus all those years and not have progressed to a severe condition. Everyone is different, some never experience problems. Document your questions and concerns, then present them to your doctor. Do your best to stay positive and don't beat yourself up over this. Your liver appears to be in good shape and the treatments available now and certainly in the near future are very promising. Hang in there!

Loopy Lisa · Guru

I guess that depends on many factors. Did you have an open wound that vaginal fluid could have entered? If not the answer is no. Most recorded incidences of sexual transmission was with people whom had an ulceration from an STD or sex involving rough practices that would result in tearing of the vaginal or anus with blood contact. The highest reported sexual transmission is through homosexual practice with H.I.V infected individuals. The overall percentage was 1% with hetro sexual practice.

Genotype 3 has a higher incidence of fatty liver compared to other genotypes. It is also a genotype that has been known to go RVR and return, but this is a small percentage. I did read it was one of the worst genotypes if you are a non responder after many years for developing cirrhosis.

On the upside, it is very treatable as it has a weaker envelope compared to Genotype one and four, but slightly tougher than genotype two. It has a very high percentage cure rate on interferon from 67% to 80% with no other issues.

In India Genotype 3 is the prominent genotype. In the West it is genotype 1 and Africa 4. All countries have all genotypes in varying amounts.

I have had this disease I think between 17-20 years, no fibroses and liver tests are all within normal ranges. Being female I have an advantage of estrogen to protect me.

Do not drink any alcohol, not even a thimble. On treatment eat what you want, you will lose weight, a sad thing associated with the treatment.

Do not worry, there are many of us with genotype 3 and are doing well. You are young, no damage and there is no reason not to cure.

It is possible to have got this disease many ways, a huge percentage of people have no clue how they contracted the disease.

Wishing you luck with treatment!

-- Edited by Loopy Lisa on Sunday 10th of November 2013 11:46:06 PM

-- Edited by Loopy Lisa on Sunday 10th of November 2013 11:46:52 PM

-- Edited by Loopy Lisa on Sunday 10th of November 2013 11:55:26 PM

mallani · Guru

Hi,

If you've consulted an Hepatologist, he should have answered those questions. Acute HepC is difficult to diagnose, as most patients do not have symptoms so rarely present for blood tests. You have a dubious risk factor, liver enzymes that have become elevated in a month and a significant Viral Load. So yes, you could have acute HepC. The only way to tell is to do followup tests. I'm surprised an Hepatologist is offering treatment at this stage. Ultrasound does not show liver inflammation.

It is possible, although unlikely, to have had HepC for 30 years without significant liver damage ( particularly Geno 3). Keep us posted.

mallani · Guru

Hi newtohep,

From your IP address, I see you are in India. I presume you are talking about treatment with PegInterferon and Ribavirin.

I wouldn't rush into treatment if you are really worried about your HIV status. I'd wait and get another test done as it can take 12 weeks to develop HIV antibodies.

Take the time to educate yourself about HCV. Use the 'Search' button and you will learn about Geno 3, and the side effects of treatment.

SGOT is now called AST, and SGPT is ALT. If you can, post your levels. We will try to answer any questions you may have. Cheers.

mallani · Guru

It is extremely rare to find HCV in vaginal fluid. I'm not sure why you had blood tests 25 and 50 days after the incident. CD4 levels are only of interest with HIV, and HCV does not affect these levels.

Get the tests repeated in 4 weeks, and if the HCV antibody is +ve, get a Viral Load test.

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Hi newtohep, welcome from me too, and please feel free to ask your questions. We probably won`t be able to answer every question you ask as it looks like you`ll need to have further tests, but we can do our best to give our opinions.

As others have said, it does seem highly unlikely that you were infected by Hep C in the way you describe, and it is possible that you contracted the virus from the blood transfusion 30 years ago. Genotype 3 isn`t any more aggressive than any other, in fact gen 1 is possibly the most aggressive of the genotypes. There are various factors which can affect the rate of liver damage, for example alcohol consumption. An ultrasound won`t show any liver damage unless it`s reached quite an advanced stage, and the only way to tell for certain is by having a biopsy, or a fibroscan test which I believe is available in India.

I think you`ll need to have a good talk with your hepatologist at your next appointment, and in the meantime try not to get too stressed. Just take it step at a time and get all the facts straight so you`ll know the best way to proceed.

Best of luck!

newtohep · Member

Hi Mallani,

I did not have any other risk factors in the recent past. From what you are saying, I gather that this incident might have caused it.

I guess, I will have to test for HIV again, too.

I understand that ultrasound cannot show fibriosis but if the liver was enlarged it would have showed that, right?

Is genotype 3 more agressive than the other types?

I have read one poster say that she contracted the virus 29 years ago but there is no significant damage to the liver. I do not remember her genotype, though.

I will see the hepatologist again in 2 weeks. There are many questions that keep popping up.

I hope, you, and the other experts here do not mind answering them.

-- Edited by newtohep on Sunday 10th of November 2013 12:02:21 PM

newtohep · Member

Yes,Mallani, I am from India. Yes I was talking about PI and Ribavarin.

I consulted a hepatologist here. And he pretty much said what you are saying here. That sexual transmission of HCV was very rare. And he did not see it happening in my case. The exposure was on 15th August. All enzymes were normal on 10th September.

This is the LFT report as on 9th October.

LFT Normal Range

Total Bilrubin - 2 mg/dL 0-1

Bilrubin , Direct - 0.29 mg/dL 0.0 to 0.2

SGOT - 44 U/L 15-37

SGPT - 96 U/L 30-65

All other parameters were within range.

My question is,are these values indicative of a recently acquired infection. Is there any way to tell?

Also, I had a blood transfusion 30 years ago. Can one live this long with HCV without any significant damage? My US was normal, no inflammation

-- Edited by newtohep on Sunday 10th of November 2013 08:35:18 AM

-- Edited by newtohep on Sunday 10th of November 2013 08:46:18 AM

-- Edited by newtohep on Sunday 10th of November 2013 08:53:29 AM

-- Edited by newtohep on Sunday 10th of November 2013 08:54:05 AM

newtohep · Member

Hi Mallani and hrsetrdr

Thanks for your replies.

Apologies for the double post hrsetrdr. After posting under 'General discussion' I realized that I should have posted under 'New Members'. Hence, the double post.

1. While gargling, if I ingested some microscopic blood, can that have caused the Hepatitis c infection? Has anyone here has been simultaneoulsy co-infected with both the viruses?

2. Yes, I had my viral load and gentotyping tests done. Viral load is 4.5 million and genotype is 3.

3. I also had my ultrasound done. The doctor ultrasound showed no inflammation in the liver.

4. I am a 30 year old male. I work with a firm and am on leave for the last 1 month. I live alone and could not take the stress of being infected ny HCV and also possibly HIV. I have come back to my native town to my parents place. They have been very supportive.

5. I live in a part of the world where Sofusbuvir is unlikely to be sold, at least in the next few years. So, my only option is double therapy.

6. Oh, and one more point. I had blood transfusion done, when I was 6 months old. That was in 1983.

7. Mallani, I mentioned about LFTs 225 and 50 days apart, because I wanted to understand, what can cause such sharp changes in liver enzymes in such a short period of time. I did not have alcohol prior to the second test.

8. I have not taken the news if being HCV infected too badly. I did not know too much about the disease at the time of diagnosis and that is probably I was not too concerned. I am very scared about the possibility of being HIV infected also. And that is why I took the cd4 tests.

I am planning to start treatment in a couple of weeks. Do not want to leave my job. But cannot take too many leaves anymore. Wonder how severe the side-effects are.

I would really want the experts here to chime in.

Thanks.

-- Edited by newtohep on Sunday 10th of November 2013 07:48:31 AM

newtohep · Member

I have had sex with a sex worker 2 months back. I used protection. When, I removed the condom, I felt something sticky on my fingers - it was the vaginal fluid. Without washing my hand, I used water to clean my penis with the same hand. After this, I took some water on the same hand and repeatedly gargled and spit the water out.

1. 25 days after the exposure, I got my LFTs done. All were normal.

2. I tested for HCV 50 days after the exposure. It was positive. I tested for LFTs again,(after 50 days). They were elevated (SGOT, SGPT and Bilrubin)

3. I tested for my cd4 counts after 25 and 50 days. They went down from 850 to 450. CD4 counts are known to go down during acute infection.

4. I had hiv test done at 8 weeks. It was negative

5. Based on all the above information, do you think I might have somehow been infected during this incident? Am I at risk for HIV as well?

6. Has anyone here been infected with HCV by sex?

Please answer. I am incredibly depressed.

Welcome to the forum, I deleted your duplicate post in the General Discussion area; please do not double post. In order to catch HCV you have to have some type of direct blood to blood contact for the virus to enter your blood system. Perhaps a shared needle, getting tattooed with un-sanitized equipment Having sex is fairly low risk, unless skin has become torn/bloddy and comes into contact with equally damaged skin that has the HCV virus.

-- Edited by hrsetrdr on Sunday 10th of November 2013 07:22:50 AM

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