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Hey C test results

i have a current negative hep C with an index of 0.3. but a previous result of 0.11 but still considered negative on my results.

according to some tests 0.1-0.9 is negative but other tests say anything under 1.00 is negative.

what does this mean?

do I have hep c? did I have hep c?
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683231 tn?1467323017
Negative means negative. Negative means you don’t have hepatitis C congratulations.

If a person previously was infected with hepatitis C and either was treated and cured or was one of the approximately 25 percent who were able to beat the virus on their own they will test positive for hepatitis C antibodies for the rest of their life.

Testing negative means you are not currently infected and never have been in the past.

Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus. Hepatitis C infected blood must enter the blood stream of an uninfected person. The greatest risk for transmission is sharing IV drug needles with a person who is infected with hepatitis C.

Did you experience a risk of hepatitis C infected blood entering your blood stream? If you did have a possible exposure wait 22 weeks before having the antibody test. If that test is negative it is unlikely you are infected with hepatitis C.
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3 Comments
I had protected sex with a new partner but I started having abdominal pain 3 weeks after that. I tested myself for STDs 11 weeks after encounter and so far everything is negative. I keep on reading that hep window period is 8-9 weeks or 2-29 weeks? Even 6months-9months.  It's confusing.
According to my tests I took a HEPATITIS C AB W/REFL TO HCV RNA, QN, PCR test. Does that detect Hep sooner than a antibody test?
While there is a theoretical small risk of sexual transmission Hep C is not considered to be a sexually transmitted illness. The risk is for those with multiple sexual partners and especially for those who engage in rough sexual practices where blood exchange could be an issue as in very rough sex for example  BDSM or blood letting.

As you had protected sex you are at zero risk of contracting hepatitis C.

Abdominal pain is not a symptom of initial infection with hepatitis C. In fact, the majority of people initially infected with hepatitis C experience no symptoms. When people do experience symptoms, it is generally a feeling of tiredness. This is why hepatitis C is known as a silent illness.

The reason for different testing windows is for those with compromised immune systems for example for those infected with HIV. In those cases, it can take up to six months for sufficient antibodies to develop to be sure of meaningful results.

For those people with normal immune system assuming they become infected with hepatitis C  enough antibodies will develop in the majority of cases within 12 weeks to be confident of test results.

The HCV RNA test is normally performed after a positive Hep C antibody test to confirm if you are currently infected. The HCV RNA test can determine current infection in a very few days post infection. If you are not detected on the HCV RNA test you are not infected with hepatitis C.

Basically the test you took looks for hep c antibodies and if you have are positive for hep c antibodies then they would run your sample using the HCV RNA by PCR test automatically. As you were negative for antibodies  they would not run the secondary HCV RNA test as it is not needed.

The first part of the test name “HEPATITIS C AB” means hepatitis C antibody. The second part of the name “HCV RNA, QN, PCR” means that is the HCV RNA quantitative by PCR (polymerized chain reaction) that looks for the virus.

This is entirely logical as you experienced zero risk for hepatitis C infection having had protested. Even an unprotected sexual encounter would put you at very limited risk.

Anyway just to restate you were not at risk for hepatitis c from what you described so no testing was needed.

You really should be directing these questions to your personal physician, who ordered these tests. There are no medical professionals here.  I am simply a patient who was once infected with hepatitis C for many years.

Best of luck
Thank you for your knowledge.
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