Is it true that someone with Hepatitis C can drink alcohol as long as their liver count isn't up?

my dad has Hepatitis C and i hate how he drinks alcohol when he knows he has a bad liver so i said something and he told me it was okay as long as his liver count didn't go up... is this true? thanks.

All liver patients are told "No Alcohol"
consumption. Someone who has Hepatitis C,
their liver counts are way high.

Hepatitis C is a virus that enters into the liver
and goes into the liver cells and uses the
genetic makeup of that cell to replicate itself.
The liver cell is then destroyed. As the liver
cells die off, the immune system of the body
responds to this and causes inflammation
to develop in the liver. This inflammation has
to be treated and the virus has to be stopped
in order for the remaining liver cells to heal.
When the liver becomes damaged, it cannot
handle medication the same way as it once
did...this includes alcohol. Alcohol can only
add to the destruction of the liver cells.

If no treatment to remove the Hepatitis C and
the alcohol is not stopped...it can lead to
death of the liver cells and scar tissue forming
inside the liver that blocks the flow of blood
to the liver and through the liver...this is
then known as cirrhosis of the liver and it
is an irreversible disease that leads to
a liver transplant having to be done.

It might be that your Dad doesn't want you
to worry. He needs the help of a
gastroenterologist or a hepatologist to help
him now.

Article on cirrhosis: http://www.medicinenet.com/cir...
On transplant: http://www.surgery.usc.edu/div...
Short movies on the Liver and Hepatitis C that explains it well:
http://hepatitis-c.emedtv.com/...
Best wishes Report Abuse

You can click on those links on the post I made. I'm sorry that
it could not be different for you. This is very hard for anyone who
is involved with this type of disease. You are a wonderful daughter,
I hope he realizes that. Report Abuse

People who have Hep C should NEVER drink ANY alcohol. Hep C damages the liver. Alcohol is processed by the liver. If someone has Hep C and continues to drink alcohol, the rate of liver damage increases. He is killing himself.

When your dad was diagnosed with Hep C, his doctors should have immediately told him that he should never drink alcohol. If his doctors did not tell him that he should never drink, they were being negligent (in my opinion).

If your dad continues to drink, he WILL die much sooner than if he would stop drinking and take care of himself.

Anyone with hep C should never drink alcohol no matter what their counts might be. So the answer to your question is a big NO! And how does he know what his counts are at any given time? They can change at any time and unless he has insight into the viral counts inside his body at all times, there is no way he can tell. The only thing he is going by is probably his last set of labs at his doctors office. Drinking on top of hep C will only destroy his liver faster. He is either in denial or wants to drink without anyone bugging him about his health. It's probably a little of both. I'm sorry he probably won't listen to you, but all you can do it try. When he gets really sick, he will only have himself to blame. I hope he gets the help he needs and start doing the right thing when it comes to his health.

NO! It is NEVER okay for anyone to drink alcohol with HCV, regardless of liver counts or not! The liver counts he speaks of are alt and ast, and how would he know what level they are at unless he was tested daily?

With the nature of hcv, one test may show enzymes are normal the next abnormal....or out of normal limits.
Regardless, HCV is doing damage at a much faster rate and do not let him tell you otherwise!

ALCOHOL is never okay in those with HCV infection...we probably get too much just in every day things we do, ie, brush teeth, shampoo our hair, skin lotion.....you'd be surprised what has alcohol in it and you dont have to drink it either...just rubbing alcohol is bad enough or the types found in hygene items.