So I was doing some routine blood work for a future healthcare job, and my initial hep c Ab screen came back as weakly positive (I wasn't provided any quantifiable values). The doctor wanted me to redo the test and also do an RNA test and liver function test.
I am 22 years old and perfectly healthy. The only exposure risk I may have is that my dad has hep c. He found out he had it 7 years ago and now is undergoing treatment. He most likely has had it for 20+ years. My doctor told me that it is more likely for me to have gotten it from a separate incident than from my dad since household transmission is extremely rare, although still possible. To add to this, my mom and dad have been together for 20+ years and she is negative.
I've read on this forum that weakly positive initial Ab tests are usually/can be false positives, especially for low risk individuals. Can anyone confirm this? The three options they gave me on my blood work is either 1) false positive 2) waning antibody 3) early infection and sercoconversion. None of these seem to suggest a chronic infection, however a current infection is possible. I do have a science background, although I am not an expert on the immune system, but it seems unlikely to receive a weakly reactive test result, if I currently have a chronic infection, as this would mean that there should be plenty of antibodies in my blood in order to give a clear positive test rresul. I know I'll only be able to know for sure once I get my results from my blood work, but typing this out at least helps with some anxiety haha.
Fortunately, whatever the results turn out to be, I am pretty knowledgable about the infection and the successful treatments currently available due to my dad currently undergoing his Harvoni treatment. Additionally, the healthcare system where I live is now covering all hep c medications for individuals with the infection no matter the extent of infection. Therefore, I am definitely eager to know my results to either not have to worry about it or begin treatment.
Thanks!