What does this mean for me?

[cheyders]

After over 300 platelet donations, I just got a call from the blood center saying I was being deferred. My last tests came back positive for the core antibody Hep B. DNA tests all came back negative. I was immunized for the disease over 2 years ago when I went to work for a local hospital (I do not work near patients). I don't recall ever having had Hep B in my life. The FDA says I can no longer donate. Is this a false-positive or have I had Hep B or what? Why is it testing positive now? I've always been very healthy.

[Resilient_Mimi]

Sometimes you can have a false pos, just go to you reg MD and have them do more test, the test at the blood center, just do a screen and if you have the antibodies then they kick it out, this could just mean you have been exposed to hep B, dont freak out yet, give your MD a call and explain they will get you right in and test more detailed testing for more info.  Good luck!

[stef2011]

I've always been very healthy.

hbv makes almost no damage to most so you are perfectly healthy like most of hbv cronic carriers but as said above you are infectious for blood donations because the template cannot be 100% cleared from our bodies, but that's the same for many many viruses we just achieve immune control of them but not 100% clearance

[stef2011]

I don't recall ever having had Hep B in my life.

it has no synthoms, you had it and cleared it

FDA says I can no longer donate
hbv is never cleared totally from our bodies, transmission by blood or organ donation is always possible.hbv is from herpes virus family, its template can stay inside cells for decades and reactivate if immune system is damaged by drugs (steroids, chemio) or diseases like aids

this is why you cannot donate blood or organs, but do not worry you have total immune control over the virus so only making damge to immune system it can come back