please help me interpret results

[DesertRose531]

HCV RNA, PCR QUAUNT                       NOT DETEC
HCV VIRAL LOG                                     NOT DETEC
HCV RNA INTERPRETATION               SEE BELOW

Range of quantitation:           43-69,000,000 IU/ML
Range of detection (Type 1)  7-69,000,000 IU/ML
Expected result:                                     NOT DECTECTED

Can someone please tell me what that last part means. Am I undected or not??

[FaithforHealing]

I think the purpose is to help stop the spread in places that may or may not have rampant issues with HCV; it's a tiny, tiny step, but a step.

I wonder if that is a requirement for foreigners to get a work permit in the USA?  Never thought about it from that angle. I don't think it is required for all countries, and in my case it is only for long term/work permit stays.

I also wonder about the difference between communicable and contagious; we've all had communicable diseases (e.g., measles, chicken pox) and were contagious at one point. Our labs will show evidence of previous exposure to communicable diseases, but if we are not contagious I think we should be free to go. But then my brain tends to short circuit a lot lately and that may not even be logical, lol.

As I said, I'm going to ask my doc at my next appt and see what he says. I probably need to contact an infectious disease center that gives you all the shots you sometimes need to go overseas.

Thanks for weighing in on this.

[ceanothus]

It drives me crazy that they would put HCV on that kind of list in the first place – it's almost impossible to communicate this virus in any casual kind of contact, AND it already has a global distribution from I.V. drug use and careless medical practices, so it's not like they are trying to protect a virgin population. Are there any of those? Maybe some isolated tribal people somewhere, but even those few peoples aren't usually that isolated.

Rant aside, I would guess that a doctor who knows you are in tx might be ethically obligated to wait until you achieve SVR status, but a doctor who didn't know about your current tx might just look at the UND status and declare you free of the virus. You'll have to decide in advance what you will volunteer if asked about why you test positive for the antibodies but negative for RNA. Good luck!

[FaithforHealing]

Thanks, Will, I was hoping you'd show up.

Maybe I should explain my "obsession" with this, but first I should say that my Gilead trial only uses Quintiles Laboratories who I guess only do trial labs. I can't find out much about their tests, although I am going to bring it up at my next meeting with my trial doctor. As I said, it just says quanitive: UND, no data on the limits of their test.

My obsession: I have been offered a great job in a foreign country that requires a medical certificate from a USA doctor that I do not have a communicable disease, HCV being on the list, in order to get a work permit, be sponsored by my employer, etc.

My question is if I go to a lab for blood work right now (not done with tx), but UND would I get that certificate? Or do I have to wait six months after tx and show UND?

Either way, I know I will always have labs that show my exposure to HCV, but I'm wondering if that will lead to further labs that could trip me up since they can never say 0.

Hope my concern makes sense.
Bottom line is what would a doctor have to see in my labs to say I no longer have a communicable disease.
Haven't have any luck finding info on these standards.
Any ideas on where to find that info, or even your best guess would be appreciated. (I won't hold you to it)
Thanks,
Faith

[willbb]

My labs say "quantitative: undetected" but don't include that range info.
Wish they'd just say 0!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
They can't because there is commercially no test that has a LLOD (limit of detection) down to 0.

tThe LLOD is the lowest amount of virus concentration that can be detected.
It is to low to quantify(count) but still able to detect virus or not detect virus

The LLOQ (lower limit of quantification ) is the lowest concentration of virus within liner range of each assay   ie smallest amount of virus that can not only be det.but also quantified (counted)

There are a number of different assays used with differeing limits of both LLOQ  & LLOD (below)

Each of the tests have a limit of detection (LOD) and a limit of quantification (LOQ).

1.   Labcorp NGI QuantaSure: (LOD) 2 IU/mL and (LOQ) 2 IU/mL.

2.   Labcorp Quantitative RT-PCR: (LOD) 7.1 IU/mL and (LOQ) 25 IU/mL.

3.   Abbott RealTime PCR: (LOD) 12 IU/mL and (LOQ) 12 IU/mL.

4.  Quest RT-PCR: (LOD) 7.1 IU/mL and (LOQ) 43 IU/mL.

5.  Quest Quantitative TMA: (LOQ) 5 IU/mL and (LOQ) 5 IU/mL.
The Quest Heptimax test is a two part rollover test using the RT-PCR test (#4) and if lower than 43 IU/mL, then moves on to the TMA test (#5).  You can just do the TMA test to save time and money
There are a number of different assays used today (below)

best..

Will

[FaithforHealing]

I'm still confused (inf/riba), lol?

"The bottom part is telling you the range of quantification and the range of detection for the particular test your lab used.  Your results are NOT DETECTED or UNDETECTED."

I hate to ask a stupid question and I think I've been over this before and have forgotten, but why does Range of quantitation say 43-69,000,000 IU/ML and not 0? Is this the deal where it can't detect <43? And then some say tests can't detect <25.

My labs say "quantitative: undetected" but don't include that range info.
Wish they'd just say 0!

Thanks in advance to anyone who cares to try to explain this!

[jerialice]

stay UND! 4ever!!

[DesertRose531]

thanks, I'm pretty excited :)

[Dawn703]

Congratulations!!!!!!!

[DesertRose531]

thank you. You too

[dontworry_behappy1]

Have a wonderful future.

[DesertRose531]

Thank you. Yes it is very good news. I did treatment in 2002. It was rough, I would hate to have to go through it again.  
I had went for some volunteer surgery awhile back and they did a test and it came back positive .I guess that would have just been for the antibody. I'm learning more all the time.  And I just recently saw my Internal Med Dr. so had him go ahead and do blood work to find out.  

[dontworry_behappy1]

I have never seen lab results that look like this.  But if you look at it...
NO where does it say HCV RNA - DETECTED!!!  I'm sure some more
members will chime in and give you more information.  You might want
to go to the labs website and take a look at what it says.

[Advocate1955]

The bottom part is telling you the range of quantification and the range of detection for the particular test your lab used.  Your results are NOT DETECTED or UNDETECTED.  Congratulations.
Advocate1955

[DesertRose531]

so that bottom part doesn't mean anything?

[dontworry_behappy1]

undetected=NOT Detected