Hepatitis C positive test question

During a routine physical in which all of my blood work came back fine, my doctor noticed something. He wants me to be re-tested for Hepatitis C. He said that a test result of 1 would be normal but mine came back 1.1, whatever that means? He told me not to worry, but I can't help it. He said that if it tested a 3 or 4 then it would be of more concern but not to get worried yet over the .1 over. I have never used drugs, have no tatoo's, etc....
He told me that a false positive does happen and we should re-test to make sure. What does all of this mean. What does it mean to be .1 over the norm? Should I be concerned?
Thanks for your answers.

[Kalio1]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I have no idea what he meant, do you know what test he is referring to? It sounds like he is looking at some result from a test other than a actual Hep C test, those are pos or neg. the further testing is done to determie genotype and viral load. There are false tests occasionally so he is rerunning it, what ever "it" is.
Do you mean it was 1.1 logs over the norm? Was it a PCR test?
This is a case of not enough info. Try not to worry too much until you actually know something.
Unfortunately you can get Hep C in a variety of ways not just from IV drugs or coke snorting and tattoos. Did you have a bloood trasfusion or blood products prior to 1992?

[mremeet]

Not sure what you're doc is referring to. Most people are diagnosed by the following battery of tests:

1. Liver enzyme tests (AST and ALT) - This test is often the first sign that might show up in someone's bloodwork that they may have hepatitis. Enzyme levels that are elevated above normal suggests that there's ongoing liver damage. However, it does not indicate what is causing that liver damage, which could be caused by a wide variety of things (everything from tylenol to drinking etc). This is why other liver specific tests are often ordered in response to this test being high.

2. Hepatitis C anti-body test - This test detects whether or not you have HCV anti-bodies in your blood. The anti-bodies are not HCV itself, they are your immune system's reaction to the presence of the virus. If you test positive for the HCV anti-body, it does NOT necessarily mean you have an active HCV infection (although you could be infected). Not all people who test anti-body positive have HCV, about 20% who are infected by HCV naturally clear the virus. Their body has successfully thwarted and cleared the virus on its own after being infected in the past (and retains the anti-bodies). Also, someone who has successfully been treated for HCV and is no longer infected can test positive for HCV anti-bodies.

3. HCV PCR Quantitative test - This test is the final test to determine if you are actually infected with the Hepatitis C virus. It tests for the actual virus itself and quantifies how much of it is in your blood. Virus genotyping is also done at this time. This test is expensive and is why it is rarely given right off the bat to everyone.

That's how I was diagnosed. First, the elevated liver enzymes were observed, then a series of other tests checking for antibodies (hep A, hep B, hep C etc), and then a final confirmation with a PCR and genotyping. Hope you sort it out soon, best of luck to you.