Please explain my results to me

[DesertGuy]

Just had to go pick my results up from my local hosp--blood taken last Thursday--4 weeks--for some reason they would not post these online with my others --DUH?--so I don't see my Doc until next month---as I read them I still show detectable--not sure
HCV log10   1.301     log10  IU/ml

what does this mean??

[Mike]

Hi Deseryguy,

It looks like you have had a dramatic drop in your overall VL to less then  25 per IU/ml. This is great news!

"What's in a log?

Viral load can be expressed as a NUMBER or a LOG VALUE. A log is the number of times ten must be multiplied with itself to equal a certain number. For example, log 2 = 100 (10 x 10), log 5 is 100,000 (10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10).

Dividing a number by 10 is the same as a 1 log drop.

When comparing big numbers, it's sometimes easier to use logs because what looks like a massive change is in fact relatively small. For example: A viral load of 800,000 is log 5.9, 80,000 is log 4.9. So you's thinking "Wow! a massive drop in virus!" But in log terms it's the same as a drop from 500 (log 2.7) to 50 (log 1.7), which in number terms don't seems as grand as losing 720,000 of the little buggers does it...

A change in viral load of 0.5 log is significant.

You can convert a number into a log value by entering "log(THE NUMBER)" into the Google search box, for example enter "log(50)" and press RETURN and you will give you the result "log(50) = 1.69897".

HANDY LOG TABLE
Viral load is... Log value...
50 1.7
100 2
330 2.5
500 2.7
800 2.9
1,000 3
3,300 3.5
5,000 3.7
8,000 3.9
33,000 4.5
50,000 4.7
80,000 4.9
500,000 5.7
800,000 5.9
1 million 6 "

Best wishes, Mike

[DesertGuy]

Okay---big drop---but still detectable correct?
I know I was nine million something
so is this good---or great news?
I'm in for a 24 week dose

[DesertGuy]

forgot--also says

HCV  RNA  detected,  less than  15  IU/ml

[Mike]

Hi Deseryguy,

It's great news. It means you went from 9,000,000 per UL/ml to less then 25 per UL/ml! That means 8,999,975 of virus have been eliminated at the time the blood was drawn

I would imagine your undetectable at this time!

Best wishes, Mike

[DesertGuy]

So--if all goes to plan---when my blood is drawn in 3 more weeks--and then I see the doc a few days later
I should be undetectable----CORRECT ??

[Mike]

Yes. I would bet money on it!

Also, since it takes about a week to get the VL test back, I would bet money that you're undetectable now. You went from 9 million to less then 25 in 3-4 weeks. That means the Sovaldi has 20 weeks left to beat the crap out the handful that are left!

That's why this is such great news!

Best wishes, Mike

[DesertGuy]

Hey man thanks---I don't see the doc until next month, and he doesn't say much
THANKS FOR THIS FORUM