CONFUSED

Zellyf ,   i was reading your profile you  said you are HB carrier , and  you said your e-antigen is negative and e-antobody is positive . Is e- antigen same as HbsAG and HbcAB  for e-antiboby.  If thats the case  that means your not hep B carrier. I'm really confused  pls. share.
Also  just got my  lab result ,  VIRAL LOAD IS 5100 IU/ml , doctor did not say anything about starting on meds . Do you think i need to start taking meds. also having RUQ pain .

[bberry]

HBeAg (Hepatitis B e-Antigen) - This is a viral protein that is secreted by hepatitis B infected cells. It is associated with chronic hepatitis B infections and is used as a marker of active viral disease and a patient's degree of infectiousness.

A positive result indicates the person has high levels of virus and greater infectiousness.
A negative result indicates low to zero levels of virus in the blood and a person is considered non-infectious.
This test is often used to monitor the effectiveness of some hepatitis B therapies, whose goal is to convert a chronically infected individual to "e-antigen negative".

The absence of e-antigen, however, does not necessarily exclude active viral replication. Some patient groups have mutant viruses that do not give rise to e-antigen. Patients with negative e-antigen, but detectable viral DNA, are traditionally thought to be more resistant to conventional treatment than those who have positive e-antigen levels.

HBeAb or anti-HBe (Hepatitis B e-Antibody) - This antibody is made in response to the e-antigen and is detected in patients who have recovered from hepatitis B infections as well as those who are chronically infected. Chronically infected individuals who stop producing e-antigen sometimes produce e-antibodies. The clinical significance of this result is unclear but it is generally considered to be a good thing. In rare cases, anti-HBe may be associated with active viral replication in patients with e-antigen negative virus mutations

ALSO

1.      Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg): The surface protein of the hepatitis B virus that is used as a marker to detect infection. If this blood test is positive, then the hepatitis B virus is present.

2.      Hepatitis B Surface Antibody (HBsAb or anti-HBs): The antibody formed in response to the surface protein of the hepatitis B virus. It can be produced in response to vaccination or recovery from an actual hepatitis B infection. If this test is positive, then the immune system has successfully developed a protective antibody against the hepatitis B virus that provides long-term immunity.

3.      Hepatitis B Core Antibody (HBcAb or anti-HBc): This antibody only refers to a part of the virus itself; it does not provide any protection or immunity against HBV. This test is often used by blood banks to screen blood donations. A positive test indicates a person may have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, but the result can only be confirmed in relationship to the above two tests.

HBeAg: A marker of a high degree of HBV infectivity, it correlates with a high level of HBV replication. It is primarily used to help determine the clinical management of patients with chronic HBV infection.

[cajim]

Also  just got my  lab result ,  VIRAL LOAD IS 5100 IU/ml , doctor did not say anything about starting on meds . Do you think i need to start taking meds.

--2007 guideline suggests taking meds when VL>2000 and ALT elevated to x2 upper normal bound.

[zellyf]

The guideline is greater than 2000 IU/ml if you are e-antigen negative.  If you are e-positive then the treatment guideline is higher...I believe 20,000 IU/ml.

The e-antigen situation has been explained well by bberry (thanks!  Your input is always appreciated here!)