Q: hep c antibody result + 3 months: non reactive 0.02 <1.00 what does the 0, 02 mean? anything to worry about. thx

You don't have HCV: If your hepatitis c antibody test came back after 3 months after exposure, you do not have hepatitis c. The 0.02 is lower than the lower limit of infection for the assay used at that lab (1.0). Please check with your physician to make sure that this result is put into context of your specific situation. There are confirmatory tests, such as hepatitis c RNA or pcr, if there are doubts.

Q: my husband tested positive for the hep c antibody, how could he have got this virus?

Blood exposure: Risk factors for hep c include blood transfusions prior to 1992, IV drug use, tattoos or piercings, unprotected intercourse, and shared straws for snorting drugs, and children of hep c positive mothers.

Q: if a person has hep c antibodies but a undetectable pcr is it gone or can it be in the body dormant? can it reactivate?

Either is possible: Positive anibody test for Hepatitis C indicates only past exposure. Negative PCR means the virus is undetectable which means it is inactive for the time being but with no guarantee that it had completely disappeared

Q: i recently gave blood and had hep c antibodies test positive. how can this be when i don't expose myself to anyway of coming in contact with it?

Check again: If you have had no known exposure (which may be impossible to be 100% sure if one has sexual contact), then get the test repeated to make sure that this was not a lab error. If the test remains positive, then you will need to find out if you have an ongoing Hep C infection which can be effectively treated . The consequence of untreated Hep C may be liver failure or cancer.

Q: i have antibody of hep c, but no viral load, how can i reduce antibody count. ?

No need to: If you do not have the virus, the antibody is a normal response to prior exposure to the virus and there is no need and no way to reduce the antibody. Get Hep B vaccine and HPV vaccine. Wish you good health!

Q: if i had unprotected sex in august and october would an hep c antibody test be accurate if taken in december?

Not necessarily: If you caught Hep C in October, you may not have antibody in December. You should get tested again. In some cases it may take longer than 6 months for antibodies to appear. A more reliable test at this stage would be Hep C nucleic acid test.

Question 1

is it possible to have antibodies to hep c without ever having the 
disease symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Many cases of hepatitis c are relatively asymptomatic when contracted. It is the chronic carrier state that can lead to liver damage and cancer that is the problem.

Question 2

will a hep c antibody test at 11 weeks after exposure give a conclusive result?

Accepted Answer

Generally: There are other ways of testing, but if you have a normal immune system and were exposed 11 weeks previously you should have developed measurable antibody titers by that time.

Question 3

if u have hep c & been told that u have fought it with your antibodies do u still have hep c in your system should u take medication.thanks?

Accepted Answer

Not if cured: There are now some truly excellent genotype-specific anti-hepatitis C treatments, AASLD/IDSA-recommended, that replace traditional interferon/ribavirin with outstanding efficacy &amp; tolerability, &amp; are entirely oral. However, if you have antibody to hep C but are reproducibly negative for detectable virus, you're cured.

Question 4

hep c antibody result + 3 months:                            non reactive 0.02  <1.00       what does the 0, 02 mean? anything to worry about. thx

Accepted Answer

You don't have HCV: If your hepatitis c antibody test came back after 3 months after exposure, you do not have hepatitis c.  The 0.02 is lower than the lower limit of infection for the assay used at that lab (1.0).  Please check with your physician to make sure that this result is put into context of your specific situation.  There are confirmatory tests, such as hepatitis c RNA or pcr, if there are doubts.

Question 5

my husband tested positive for the hep c antibody, how could he have got this virus?

Accepted Answer

Blood exposure: Risk factors for hep c include blood transfusions prior to 1992, IV drug use, tattoos or piercings, unprotected intercourse, and shared straws for snorting drugs, and children of hep c positive mothers.

Question 6

if a person has hep c antibodies but a undetectable pcr is it gone or can it be  in the body dormant? can it reactivate?

Accepted Answer

Either is possible: Positive anibody test for Hepatitis C indicates only past exposure.  Negative PCR means the virus is undetectable which means it is inactive for the time being but with no guarantee that it had completely disappeared

Question 7

what kind of antibody tests are available to check for immunity to hep c?

Accepted Answer

Simple blood test: These are specific blood tests done by any labs....

Question 8

i recently gave blood and had hep c antibodies test positive. how can this be when i don't expose myself to anyway of coming in contact with it?

Accepted Answer

Check again: If you have had no known exposure (which may be impossible to be 100% sure if one has sexual contact), then get the test repeated to make sure that this was not a lab error.  If the test remains positive, then you will need to find out if you have an ongoing Hep C infection which can be effectively treated . The consequence of untreated Hep C may be liver failure or cancer.

Question 9

i have antibody of hep c, but no viral load, how can i reduce antibody count. ?

Accepted Answer

No need to: If you do not have the virus, the antibody is a normal response to prior exposure to the virus and there is no need and no way to reduce the antibody.
Get Hep  B vaccine and HPV vaccine.
Wish you good health!

Question 10

if i had unprotected sex in august and october would an hep c antibody test be accurate if taken in december?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily: If you caught Hep C in October, you may not have antibody in December. You should get tested again. In some cases it may take longer than 6 months for antibodies to appear. A more reliable test at this stage would be Hep C nucleic acid test.

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Doctor answers about:

Is it possible to have antibodies to hep c without ever having the disease symptoms

A member asked:

Is it possible to have antibodies to hep c without ever having the disease symptoms?

A member asked:

Will a hep c antibody test at 11 weeks after exposure give a conclusive result?

A member asked:

If u have hep c & been told that u have fought it with your antibodies do u still have hep c in your system should u take medication.thanks?

A member asked:

Hep c antibody result + 3 months: non reactive 0.02 <1.00 what does the 0, 02 mean? anything to worry about. thx

A member asked:

My husband tested positive for the hep c antibody, how could he have got this virus?

A member asked:

If a person has hep c antibodies but a undetectable pcr is it gone or can it be in the body dormant? can it reactivate?

A member asked:

What kind of antibody tests are available to check for immunity to hep c?

A member asked:

I recently gave blood and had hep c antibodies test positive. how can this be when i don't expose myself to anyway of coming in contact with it?

A member asked:

I have antibody of hep c, but no viral load, how can i reduce antibody count. ?

A member asked:

If i had unprotected sex in august and october would an hep c antibody test be accurate if taken in december?

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