HCV RNA

[Eileen104]

THE TEST DONE ON MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT PCR RNA.  I AM FAMILIAR WITH THAT TEST.  HER LAST PCR RNA WAS 850,000.  THE TEST DONE WAS RNA TMA AND I AM NOT AT ALL FAMILIAR WITH THIS TEST.  THE NORMAL RANGE IS >0.03.  HERS WAS <7500.  IF NOONE UNDERSTANDS THIS TEST, THEN I AM GOING TO HAVE THE PCR RNA DONE WHICH I DO KNOW ABOUT.  THANK YOU EVERYONE.

[meki]

Do you have the name of the test? are you saying it is an RNA TMA test?

I've never seen it - but if it has a lower listing - then it might be talking "750,000" if meaning 7500.  OR her level could have gone down.

Is she by chance going down in viral load? Is she on any type of treatment?

[jmjm530]

I answered a similar post earlier, but there does seem to be some confusion as to what tests are being given and how the results are being reported.

If you have the acutal hard copies -- you want y our own copies-- maybe you can copy the results exactly as written and post (make sure the "" symbols are posted currectly). Better, would be if you could scan the actual test results -- cross out your daughter's and doctor's name -- and then post as a picture file with your profile.

That said, what is troubling to me is that you appear to be getting so little guidance from your medical team as to what the results mean. If they're competent, you should ask them to explain the test results to you. If they're not, then you really need to find another team, especially since your daughter is only 13 and requires a liver specialist (hepatologist) and perhaps one with a sub-speciality with children. It's crazy to take another blood test just because your doctor doctor won't or can't explain the results of your current one.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Quest Diagnositics Labs has a Quantitative TMA with detection limits of 5 IU/ml -- 7,500 IU/ml. Is that the lab and test used? If so, maybe you mean the result is >7,500 as opposed to <7500 as you wrote. Just guessing here, so better to somehow post complete actual results as written, better still to have your medical team explain it to you, and best to take the time and fully understand the test results and reporting yourself.

[Eileen104]

jmjm530, you are correct, the results are >7,500.  I am scheduled to see a specialist later this month.  I was just trying to figure out what this means for my own refference.  I used to be knowlegeable of hep c and lately (the past year or so) I have not kept up with whats going on in the hep c world.  I have never heard of this test before and I was just wondering how it relates to viral load.  Thank you for responding.

[jmjm530]

IF it's the test I think it is, and IF you are relating the results correctly now -- then what the result means is that your daughter has a viral load of more  than 7,500 IU/ml. Unfortunately, this doesn' t tell you very much and is an odd choice for a pre-treatment viral load test which suggests that your seeing a more knowlegeable specialist is a good idea. Meanwhile, since you apparently use Quest Labs, you might ask your doctor to run a "Heptimax" test prior to seeing the specialist. That way, the specialist will have the exact viral load number in advance of the appointment.

All the best,

-- Jim

[meki]

Oh --- I get it...

Eileen - you were just running the test to confirm that Daughter had a viral load at all once the antibodies were in place. As a predicator of the HCV virus.

Gotcha.

OK - yeah - what jim said - and trust me - that guy has more knowledge about this stuff than I do in my left pinkie...

But I'm glad that should answer your question.

And I totally agree - Heptimax is about the best way to go. VERY SPECIFIC.

Much luck on your daughter. And much luck with your specialists. It's a very long road. But I hear kids are AMAZING on the Treatment - and that they hardly notice it.

Meki