HepC Antibodies

[PBotha]

Hi,

can anyone tell me how soon after infection that antibodies are normally detectable for HepC?

I know that doctors have different views on this. Some say a 3 months test is reliable. Some say 6 months. But I thought I'd see what people on here have actually experienced in real life.

How soon did tests show as antibody positive for anyone diagnosed with acute HepC? And did anyone have negative results prior to that, and if so after how many weeks?

Cheers in advance to anyone who can help me,

Pete.

[Jakied]

The cdc says 50 days is the average.  Neg at 90 days is very reliable and neg at 180 is home free.

[merryBe]

well I just read on another thread than an RNA test will show in 20 days, more expensive, and ins. usually won't cover it unless you had the cheaper longer wait test show as positive. However if you were in a big hurry to know, you could always give it a shot, or pay for it.

[PBotha]

Hiya MerryB,

I've seen the RNA test, but apparently it's prone to more false positives,which I'm not sure I could cope with. For that reason, plus the cost, RNA tests are only normally used to confirm a positive antibody test (as the likelihood of 2 false positives from 2 different tests is less, I guess).

I think I'm going to wait for a 6 month antibodies test. Hopefully at 18 weeks (126 days) my negative test is reliable.

Pete.