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False Positive Question
So I was donated plasma and received a certified letter that I tested positive for hepatitis C antibodies, but they went ahead a preformed a NAT test which came back negative. I guess I am just a little bit worried, they said it was probably just a false positive but that I should go and get another test done. Should I be getting a RIBA test? With the NAT results being negative, should I be very worried about any of this?
Just wanted to give everyone a follow up. I actually had another antibody test run and tested negative, like very very negative. I talked to the blood bank and they basically said it was just a false positive.
If your initial "antibodies" test was a " weak positive"( possibly ask for a copy of this) and the subesequent NAT was neg,then what you were told about this being a false pos' is likely
The "RIBA' would have confirmed this if NEG.,however even a POS. Riba would not have told you if there was still chronic HCV infection as a certain percentage of people would have cleared the virus on their own(approx 15-25%) and still test Pos. Riba
You need to ask your physician to run an HCV/RNA by PCR blood test to ascertain definitively whether or not you have HCV.
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Good luck and welcome...
Will
The "RIBA' would have confirmed this if NEG.,however even a POS. Riba would not have told you if there was still chronic HCV infection as a certain percentage of people would have cleared the virus on their own(approx 15-25%) and still test Pos. Riba
You need to ask your physician to run an HCV/RNA by PCR blood test to ascertain definitively whether or not you have HCV.
\
Good luck and welcome...
Will
I just called my local hospital, the Vanderbilt health center and they informed me they are no longer doing RIBA tests because they can't get one of the reactants or something along those lines? Does anyone have any other ideas of what I should do?
Supplemental NAT Results
NATs that detect HCV RNA also can be used as supplemental tests for anti-HCV. They are used commonly in clinical practice for diagnosis of acute and chronic HCV infection and for evaluating and managing patients with chronic hepatitis C.
If the NAT result is positive in persons with a positive screening test result, NAT has the advantage of detecting the presence of active HCV infection as well as verifying the presence of anti-HCV (Box). If the NAT result is negative in persons with a positive screening test result, the HCV antibody or infection status cannot be determined. Among persons with these results, additional testing with RIBA is necessary to verify the anti-HCV result and determine the need for counseling and medical evaluation (Box); if the anti-HCV screening test results are judged falsely positive (i.e., RIBA-negative), no further evaluation of the person is needed; whereas if the anti-HCV screening test results are verified as positive by RIBA, the person should undergo medical evaluation, including serial determinations of HCV RNA and ALT activity.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5203a1.htm
Wishing you the best and welcome to the forum
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