Steven Tyler reveals he has hepatitis C

[graywarrior]

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Steven Tyler says he was diagnosed with hepatitis C three years ago after having the illness for a long time without any symptoms.

In an interview that was to air Tuesday on "Access Hollywood," the 58-year-old Aerosmith frontman said the infection was now "nonexistent" in his bloodstream after 11 months of treatment, including the drug interferon


http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/26/people.steventyler.ap/index.html

[Shakespeare]

1. Color me not surprised.

I wish him well; it's a nasty disease to have. It's too bad he played around so much and so carelessly in the earlier days. :-(

[graywarrior]

2. Like we all did...some of us escaped with good physical health.

Mental and emotional is a different story.

[idgiehkt]

4. wonder if that's where Pam Anderson got it?

I thought it was interesting how she publicly declared that she had gotten it from Tommy Lee and then he came out with a press release the next day or so saying that he had never had it and didn't know where she got it from.

[HEyHEY]

3. Not exactly a jaw-dropper

[dolo amber]

5. ...

:o

Best to him, I have loads of friends with this plague. x(

[graywarrior]

6. Yeah, me too. It's a tough thing to deal with.

[xchrom]

7. you can't get through this life unscathed.

i love him and wish him the very, very best.

[graywarrior]

8. Me, too. Wish I could send him flowers or something.

[martymar64]

9. My sister has it too.

She thinks she got it when she messed with needle drugs in the 70's. She just found out about 6 mos. ago.

[Katina]

10. I'm sorry for him, but is anyone surprised?

come on? The big shock is that half these guys are still walking!!!

[grannylib]

11. Damn, that's too bad...and no, not surprising. But too bad just the same

I do love Aerosmith.

Wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[Radio_Lady]

12. RIP to SEX, DRUGS, and ROCK AND ROLL...

Good thing I've passed through those phases relatively unscathed -- at least, so far.

[Radio_Lady]

13. Was this the same hepatitis that Naomi Judd contracted?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

14. I think Judd had Hep B, from her work as a nurse (puts you at risk for

either B or C).

In Tyler's case it's likely from injection drugs, I thought I read something about Aerosmith shooting heroin back in the day...

On Edit: Hep C in Judd's case also.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2003-09-05-naomi-judd_x.htm

[Shakespeare]

15. She has hep C, and it's not necessarily from her nursing days.

Naomi comes across all sweetness and light, but she was pretty wild herself when she was younger. I'm sure it's easier for her country music fans to just assume she got it from nursing, but the truth is she doesn't know how she got it, and there are other possibilities that aren't so nice.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. There's no value judgement from me here. A virus is a nonjudgmental

bundle of nucleic acids. Doesn't give a damn if transmitted through sex, smack shooting, tattoos, occupational injury or other dumb luck.

I work in health care and am at risk for contracting these. Despite the HIV stigma I think Hep C if anything is a bigger concern than HIV because of its prevalence, greater transmissibility, and high odds of causing long term liver problems/cirrhosis if contracted.

[Shakespeare]

19. The only thing I dislike is hypocrisy. I have several friends with Hep C.

It does horrible, horrible things to the body--and generally leads to an early death. But Naomi Judd would do much more good for people if, in the interest of education, she'd just be honest about the other possible ways she may have contracted it.

[LeftyMom]

22. The girls' Dad had an IV drug problem and slept around

It's more likely she got it from him than a needle stick or something.

My Mom has it, so I really am not in a situation to blame anybody for how they got it, nor should we with any disease. We all make bad judgements or have bad luck, it's still unfortunate when that threatens our health.

[Radio_Lady]

16. Thanks, MM.

[pitohui]

25. judd has hep c from unknown causes

i have not thought of this in years but back in the day it was not known how judd contracted the disease

[Mz Pip]

17. The lyrics of

a Doors song comes to mind:

No one here gets out alive.

We do what we do. Maybe we make some mistakes along the road. Who hasn't? Some of us go down kicking and screaming. Some live risk free lives and then get hit by a bus.

I wish him well.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Kat45]

20. I didn't know it could be treated.

Is that something new, or something that only people with money can afford? I'm glad he's ok, but I'm getting sick of hearing about it: I've lost count of how many times I've seen it on the local news here in Boston.

[Shakespeare]

21. They treat it with interferon, but with mixed results.

It helps some people tremendously, and makes others so sick they can't take it.

[jonnyblitz]

23. it helped one of my family members yet basically crippled an

acquaintance, the interferon. you are correct. it did make my family member "out of sorts" but supposedly has worked so far.

[Kat45]

24. Well, he did say the treatment almost killed him.

I guess that's why.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

27. A good friend of mine had to stop (interferon) because of severe side

effects. (For Hep C.) My understanding is that if you complete the course of treatment (I think it was like 3 months or something), a certain percentage of people, like around half, have what appears to be a cure, from their immune system being stimulated by treatment to clear the virus.

So if I had it I'd sure give the treatment a try.

[pitohui]

26. it is treatable

tyler speaking of a cure may be optimistic but clearly it's treatable

naomi judd was diagnosed 15 years ago or so i'm thinking and she's still with us