Hepatitis B Core Antibody

Posted By  HFHSM.D.-ym on March 24, 1998 at 09:16:08:

In Reply to: Hepatitis B Core Antibody posted by Grete on March 18, 1998 at 15:32:09:
  I recently donated blood for my own use during surgery. I was notified by
  the Blood Bank that in routine testing of my blood, I tested positive for
  anti-HBc. The notice went on to explain that at some time in the past I
  have been exposed to the Hepatitis virus, and have developed an antibody
  to the virus.
  Does this mean that I have liver damage? My partner's testing did not show
  the positive anti-HBc. Should he be vaccinated? Is there a course of action
  that I should follow? Should I get some further testing done? Do my test
  results indicate that I may experience liver problems in the future?
  Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this forum.  
Dear Grete,
You ask some very important questions about hepatitis B viral infection. Although it is a fairly common infection it is generally self-limited and in a majority of cases does not evolve into a chronic liver disease. Most patients present with a flu-like illness, joint pain, fever or jaundice but the infection can also be asymptomatic. That seems to be what happened to you. Hepatitis B can be transmitted at birth, via percutaneous blood exposure or sexually.
It is possible to determine what the status of hepatitis B infection is by performing a series of blood tests. The hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) indicates previous infection. In order to be absolutely sure that you aren

[HFHSM.D.-ym]

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