Aa
potential false positive hep c antibody test-please help
I just received a positive hep c antibody test. The cut-off was <1.00 and my result was 1.04. I am extremely worried and have taken a quantitative pcr w/rfx test, I'm awaiting the results. My liver enzymes were also elevated (which makes my doc think it is not a false positive) My AST enzymes were at 147 with the range at 10-30. I have read that lifting weights can cause this to rise, and I did lift weights 3 days prior to this test when I hadn't before. Any input on my results? I am going crazy over this. I am a young mom with two boys and ZERO risk factors other than one incident that I will explain below. My doctor told me not to kiss my kids and to use a different toilet which is making me so much worse. The only potential risk factor (which is why I got tested in the first place) was because a vascular surgeon I was going to was injecting the varicose veins on my legs with a needle (called sclerotherapy), accidentally pricked his own finger through his glove, and continued using that needle on me. I am going out of my mind. Any input is sooooo appreciated. Thank you!
Best Answer
Hang in there. The results of you retesting will be back im a couple of weeks and then you will be able to put this anxiety behind you.
Please keep us indormed!
Pat
Please keep us indormed!
Pat
Thank you, best to you and your family as well! I was on vacation and did my best to keep my mind off things. I am going back next Monday for another round of tests, per the specialist. It will be 17.5 weeks after potential exposure. I am trying to think positively and remember all of your advice, but it is still nerve-wracking! A low- reactive antibody test at 13 weeks a non-reactive antibody test a couple days after, and negative PCR at 14 weeks... hopefully next weeks test results will confirm negative! Trying to ignore the what-ifs and think positively. Thanks for all of the support, I truly appreciate it!!!
Yes, that is definitely reassuring. I spoke with the specialist again today and she said that the negative antibody test is good news and she believes in her gut that it was a false positive. She wants me to retest with antibody test and pcr again in a few weeks. Then said that if I want her to test at 6 months out again, we can. I am definitely more calm about it all, I am just ready to hopefully put this behind me. It's crazy that in this day and age, it can be so unclear and all over the place, and take so long to get a conclusive result. Or maybe those are just my emotions that are all over the place. :) Thanks again for all the support and info.
I got so more good info today! I took a blood test for life insurance a couple days after my initial antibody test and I just saw the results online today. I wasn't sure if they were going to test me for hep c, but they did and it was NEGATIVE!!!! So, it looks like the first test was a false positive. Especially because my next weeks PCR test came back negative. Interestingly, my liver enzymes were sky high. AST 370 and ALT 100. However, with my next weeks PCR test the enzymes were almost back to normal. The specialist wants me to re-do both tests in a couple weeks, so I guess I will call her tomorrow and see what she wants me to do from here. Sounds like great news though, at 13 weeks when I took it.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Question 2. What do these test results mean: “<15 Detected” or “<15 Not Detected”?
A “<15 Detected” means the assay was able to detect HCV RNA but was not able to accurately quantitate the viral load. A “<15 Not Detected” means the assay did not detect HCV RNA (Target Not Detected).This test is performed using the COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® Taqman® HCV Test v2.0. The lowest viral load this assay can accurately quantify is 15 IU/mL, but the limit of detection is 10-13 IU/mL. Therefore, we can qualitatively report detection even if the viral load is under 15 IU/mL.
http://education.questdiagnostics.com/faq/FAQ22v1