Hepatitis C Blog
Greg Jefferys Hepatitis C blog deals with all the issues associated with hepatitis C
HCV Antibody Test Positive Result
What is the Hepatitis C Antibody Test
The Hep C Antibody Test
Can A Positive Hep C Test Be Wrong
Hi Greg,
Long time no see, I hope you are doing well. And even though I feel well pretty much good most of the time, I recently had a test done (for the first time since taking the meds) and unfortunately I am still positive. Long story short, I would like to order as soon as possible…
Sincerely yours, Ivan
My Reply
Hi Ivan
I think you have had the wrong test.
If you have had a Hep C antibody test then this is the wrong test.
Antibodies are proteins created by your body’s immune system to combat the Hep C virus. Like a vaccine you will always have Hep C antibodies in your blood… its a good thing.
Let me know
Greg
Just about every day, sometimes twice a day, I get emails like the one above, from people who have done Hepatitis C treatment and then get a Hepatitis C Antibody test that shows a POSITIVE result and they think their Hep C treatment has failed and that they still have Hepatitis C infection.
A positive result from a HCV antibody test does not prove that you have a Hep C infection. If you test positive for Hep C antibodies and have never been treated for Hep C there is about a 75% chance that you have Hepatitis C.
But if you have previously been treated for Hep C a Hep C antibody test is a total waste of time because you will always test positive for Hep C antibodies.
What are Hep C Antibodies?
Hepatitis C Antibodies are proteins created by your own body’s immune system to fight the the Hepatitis C virus.
Hep C antibodies a designed to attach to the surface of Hep C virus and block the ability of the Hep C virus to replicate itself inside your liver. Hep C antibodies fight the Hepatitis C virus and in about 25% of cases they are successful and the Hep C virus is destroyed and you do not go on to develop chronic Hepatitis C.
This always happens in the acute phase of a Hep C infection, that is within the first 6 months from when the virus entered your body. If your immune system can not defeat the virus within the first 6 months, in the acute phase, its defence has been unsuccessful and the virus will remain active in your body until a pharmaceutical intervention removes it (or you die).
However even after the virus is removed, either by your own immune system or by treatment with Hep C drugs, the antibodies will remain in your blood. You will always have Hepatitis C antibodies in your blood.
So a Hepatitis C Antibody test after you have had a successful Hepatitis C treatment is a total waste of time because you will always test positive for Hep C antibodies.
For more information about Hep C antibodies click this link
Can A Hep C Test Be Wrong, Can A Positive Hep C Test Be Wrong, Hep C Antibody Test Reactive, Hep C Antibody Test Results, Hepatitis C Ab Test Results, Hepatitis C Antibody Test Accuracy, What If My Hep C Test Is Positive, What Is A Hepatitis C Antibody Test, What Is A Normal Hep C Antibody Test, What Is Hep C Antibody Test, What Is The Hepatitis C Antibody Test
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Can hepatitis c heal on its own
About 25% of people who become infected with Hep C will cure the infection with their own immune system. This only happens in the ‘acute phase’ of the Hep C infection. The acute phase is the first 6 months after contracting Hep C. Once the acute phase is passed the patient enters the ‘chronic phase’ and in the chronic phase Hep C can only be cured by pharmaceutical intervention
[…] 25% of people who contract Hepatitis C defeat the virus naturally with their own Immune System, but this only happens in the acute phase of the Hep C infection. The acute phase of Hepatitis C is […]