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HCV Viral; If ALT is normal,l should I do a biopsy?

Hello Dr. Chung,

I found out 3 months ago I have hcv, I have had this for 15 years, My genotype is mixed 1a and 1b., Will that make the hcv worse, and should I have my children tested?, my viral load is 8.5x10 to the 5th, but that is as high as the test dose, Thank-you

Dr. Chung, I have one more question, all my lab's are normal, my bio is july 31, what are the chances of have a bad bio, with normal lab's.

Thanks, P.

Dr. Chung writes--

Dear P.,

While the value of your test suggests a moderate to high viral load, your risk of transmitting to your children appears to be minimal (<6% in the great majority of studies done). However, the safest bet is to test them with the antibody test (assuming they are over 6 months of age). If you have had persistently normal liver enzymes, then the risk of a bad biopsy is small (<10%), but it's worth knowing that. RC