Aa
Antibody test
Hello I had a whole bunch of blood work done last month and the only one that came back is hepatitis c antibody was <0.02 and the doctor said it could be if I had any kind of immunization for hepatitis c. I don’t remember neither do my parents. I’m just wondering if the result is something to worry about or not, if I should go and have a full hep c test done. And is the <0.02 considered positive or negative?
There is no vaccination for hep c. If you tested negative you have nothing to worry about. You should follow your doctor’s advice about any testing.
The 0.2 means nothing really you should have been told this was a negative result. I am not totally sure as there are several antibody tests with different reference ranges. But I think any result less that 1.0 is considered a negative result.
Did your doctor say you tested negative for the hepatitis c virus? That is the only part of your result that matters. If you test negative for antibodies more than 12 weeks after a concerning exposure you do not have hepatitis c.
Did you have a risk of a blood to blood contact with Hepatitis c infected blood? Did you share IV drug needles with someone who has hep c? Did you get a tattoo in an unlicensed tattoo shop? Did you receive a blood transfusion prior to 1990?
If you did not have a situation where hep c infected blood could have entered your blood stream you were not at risk.
We here are not doctors we are a community of patients here for mutual support while dealing with living with hep c and treatment. We cannot offer any medical advice or diagnosis any medical condition.
For competent medical opinion speak with your doctor.
The 0.2 means nothing really you should have been told this was a negative result. I am not totally sure as there are several antibody tests with different reference ranges. But I think any result less that 1.0 is considered a negative result.
Did your doctor say you tested negative for the hepatitis c virus? That is the only part of your result that matters. If you test negative for antibodies more than 12 weeks after a concerning exposure you do not have hepatitis c.
Did you have a risk of a blood to blood contact with Hepatitis c infected blood? Did you share IV drug needles with someone who has hep c? Did you get a tattoo in an unlicensed tattoo shop? Did you receive a blood transfusion prior to 1990?
If you did not have a situation where hep c infected blood could have entered your blood stream you were not at risk.
We here are not doctors we are a community of patients here for mutual support while dealing with living with hep c and treatment. We cannot offer any medical advice or diagnosis any medical condition.
For competent medical opinion speak with your doctor.
6 Comments
My doctor didn’t say it’s a negative, he just said there was a trace of it. I’m gonna call him tomorrow and ask what he wants me to do. And if he thinks it’s a positive or negative. The only exposure I could think of was receiving oral from a unknown status female. Not sure if there’s risk but no visible blood or anything. Thank you for your reply I will see what the doc says and will update.
Oral is not a risk. As far as I know less than 1.0 is negative. If I have that right about the scale 0.2 means nothing. If you had been previously exposed it would be above 1.0 and then you would need to be tested for the virus itself called the HCV RNA test to see if you had beat the infection on your own or are currently infected and will require treatment.
About 15 to 25% of people are able to fight off the virus without treatment but will always test positive (above 1.0) for Hepatitis c antibodies
About 15 to 25% of people are able to fight off the virus without treatment but will always test positive (above 1.0) for Hepatitis c antibodies
Yea I was talking to a nurse and mentioned I had Gilbert’s syndrome that I guess I was born with. And it has something to do with bilirubin. She said I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
From the Mayo Clinic
“If you have Gilbert's syndrome — also known as constitutional hepatic dysfunction and familial nonhemolytic jaundice — you're born with it as a result of an inherited gene mutation. You might not know you have the condition until it's discovered by accident, such as when a blood test shows elevated bilirubin levels.“
Gilbert’s Syndrome likely has everything to do with it but you should ask your doctor. No one here is a medical professional. I am just a patient who had hepc for 37 years and has liver cirrhosis. I just read a lot and google search.
For an educated answer speak to your doctor.
“If you have Gilbert's syndrome — also known as constitutional hepatic dysfunction and familial nonhemolytic jaundice — you're born with it as a result of an inherited gene mutation. You might not know you have the condition until it's discovered by accident, such as when a blood test shows elevated bilirubin levels.“
Gilbert’s Syndrome likely has everything to do with it but you should ask your doctor. No one here is a medical professional. I am just a patient who had hepc for 37 years and has liver cirrhosis. I just read a lot and google search.
For an educated answer speak to your doctor.
So my question is, if say I did have hep c and my body was beating it on it’s own, would my hep c antibody test be always positive? Or would it say drop down to negative levels? I called my doctor and he said he considers it a negative test for the one I had because it was lower then .08 or whatever but I was just wondering if the antibody levels would be on the lower end or always positive?
“if say I did have hep c and my body was beating it on it’s own, would my hep c antibody test be always positive?“
Yes you will test positive for the rest of you life for Hepatitis c antibodies if you were ever infected.
Yes you will test positive for the rest of you life for Hepatitis c antibodies if you were ever infected.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
