diagnosis of hepatitis c

[sandy031182]

hi,i m a male 26 yrs.i have been detected with hep c in mar2008 with the help anti hcv test while donating blood.the anti hcv test was done again in APR2008  to confirm hcv exposure n it was positive.the other reports was as follows at that time
bilirubin   0.70 mg/di
sgot        28  iu/L
sgpt        22  iu/L
Alkaline phosphatase 112  iu/L


i go through the HCV RNA QUANTITATIVE  in APR2008 n its result were below detection limit(i.e.<20 copies/ml)
my ultrasound of abdomen was also normal.so treatment was not started.in sep2008 i go through the anti hcv test again and this time it was negative.LFT  was also within limit.now what should i do? should i go through all these test periodically.

[portann]

I misread you post and thanks to NewLeaf, see that you only had one PCR to date, along with three antibody tests, two positive and one negative.

In that case, I too, would probably feel more secure with a second PCR test down the road, if I could afford it.

Hepatologists are unfortunately relatively rare and in great demand, so it may be difficult to see one with the recent good results you have. I tested positive on a PCR test and it took forever to get an appointment as a new patient. Are you in a major center in India?

[newleaf09]

You may be in the clear.  You may have had the virus but cleared it on your own.  I can't guess why the last antibody test would come back negative after 2 positives.  If it were me, I might want to do the PCR one more time, off in the future, before I decided that I absolutely no longer had the virus.

Remember that this group has a lot of collective experience, but we are none of us doctors.  A hepatologist is the best advisor for you.

[portann]

I'm not sure I understand your April 2008 results. Did it specifically say negative or positive for detectable virus?

I think the 20 copies/ml PCR test is equivalent to the 50 iu/ml test (20 x 2.7), so that is a decent test, although now there are more sensitive tests. My tests were mostly 50 iu/ml until very, very recently.


Since you went through a second PCR test in September 2008 and it was negative, I would consider myself fine in regards to HCV. I would make sure to be vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, which are much easier to contract.

Elevated LFT's are indicators and can be caused by several things, including OTC medications, etc. It's a good idea to monitor them in future but not to jump to conclusions about their cause without proper evaluation by a doctor.