How Long Must a Viral Load Be Undetectable Before Someone Is “Cured?
Dr. Anania: Generally we like to see six months of continued undetectable viral load after treatment to say a patient’s virus is in remission. I cannot say they are “cured.” Dr. Pearlman: After treatment, [patients] have a “sustained virologic response” or SVR. That is defined as undetectable viral load by PCR to under 50 IU/mL for 24 weeks after treatment is complete. If that is the case, that is an SVR. SVR means it’s 98% certain you are cured. But there are very rare cases where people relapse if you check their viral load a year or two out. But it doesn’t mean you can’t get hepatitis C again if you engage in high-risk behaviors.
