newly diagnosed

[jewel1981]

I recently got these test results and I'm unsure how to read them. Is it my viral load #.or something else.                                              Component Results

Component   Standard Range      Your Value            HCV RNA QN TMA                               9560                                       LOG 10                                                   3.980                                                        TEST INFORMATION  The quantitative range of the assay is 15 IU/mL to 100 million IU/mL
using COBAS(R) TaqMan(R) HCV test, v 2.0. The limit of detection (LOD)
and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for this assay is 15 IU/mL.
Results less than the quantitative range of the assay will be reported
as "HCV RNA detected, less than 15 IU/mL".

Can anybody help me.

[dontworry_behappy1]

http://hcvguidelines.org

[jewel1981]

Is there a website anyone recommends for finding info on Hep C ? I would like to educate myself so I understand what my PCP is telling me

[dontworry_behappy1]

The viral load number is used to see if you actually have Hepatitis C.  If you have a viral load you have Hepatitis C.  Viral loads go up and down on a daily bases.  Your viral load doesn't determine how long you have had hepatitis C.

Hope this helps

[SurfsideGal]

It is used to confirm chronic hepatitis C rather than just an exposure. And it is used to monitor if treatment is working. Before the new treatments it was harder to cure someone with a high viral load. Now it is way less important.

[jewel1981]

Then what is the viral load # used to determine? My pcp isn't very helpful when I have questions. She tells me to use the internet

[SurfsideGal]

No, it doesn't mean that. How high it is, or how low it is, does not mean much of anything.

[jewel1981]

Does a low viral load # mean I recently got the Hep C virus?

[flyinlynn]

Your results look a little jumbled like the didnt format well.

I believe they say:

HCV RNA QN 9560

LOG 10       3.980

If I have that correct I believe your viral load is 9560 IU/mL or expressed on a logarithmic base 10 scale the same number looks like log 10  3.980

That is just a different way to express the same number that biological scientists like to use when studying virus populations but they mean the same thing.

So it means you have a viral load of 9,560 which is very low for comparision mine was 2.4 million (2,422,260) or log 10    6.384

I have similar notes on the end it just describes the limits of the tests ability to detect the virus.

The quantitative range of the assay is 15 IU/mL to 100 million IU/mL
using COBAS(R) TaqMan(R) HCV test, v 2.0. The limit of detection (LOD)
and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for this assay is 15 IU/mL.
Results less than the quantitative range of the assay will be reported
as "HCV RNA detected, less than 15 IU/mL".

What that means is you could have less than 15 viral load anf the test can tell the virus is present just can't tell if it is 4 or 14 or any other number less than 15 IU/mL of virus present in the test sample.

IU/mL is read as international unites per milliliter of blood

hope that helps