I have a viral load of 422000,I need to know how high this is

Hi Joein21,

When I was first diagnosed with hep C, my viral load was 3.2 million and was considered to be not that high. The thing to remember about viral load is that it is mainly used during treatments whether it be through the combo therapy or alternative methods of treatment. This reading is used to determine if whatever method that you are using to treat is working or not.

When a reduced viral load is detected then this tells the doctors that the treatment is working. The ultimate goal of hepatitis treatment is to get an undetectable viral load. The viral load is simply how many copies of the virus is found in the blood.

The tests that are really important for now if you are not treating would be the genotype test and the antibody test. You have probably already received the antibody test since you know your viral load. If you are seeing a liver specialist, you may also be asked to get a liver biopsy or a scan of the abdomen. These tests are used to determine how much damage if any your liver has recieved from the virus.

But in answer to your original question, I believe that a viral load that is less then a million copies is considered to be very low. This information is only what I have learned through my own treatment experience so I would still ask this question of your doctor or liver specialist.

I hope this helps a little. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask on this board. There are a lot of people here who have already experienced the hepatitis battle and have learned a lot from their experiences.

I wish you the best of luck,

Chuck