hcv pcr

[rock680]

Hi i want know once he checked hcv pcr at past one and half year back that report shown non detactable.doctor adviced no need treatment that is past  infection .my qustion again he is testing the hcv pcr waiting for the report.after this two years he dosent have any symptoms.he went for new job they are tested screening for blood.comes hcv postive.thats the resan to again he tested for hcv pcr.he worried about it this 2years symptoms nt possiable to appear.once hcv pcr getting normal report means again pcr report chance to change are not 

[Dee1956]

Pooh has given  you some great advice.  I am happy that you or your friend does not have HCV.
Sometimes it is hard to read posts as they are missing important pieces of information.
Good luck to you
Dee

[pooh55811]

I think I understand you correctly that your friend was tested for Hepatitis C 1 and 1/2 years ago and his antibody test came back positive. Then he had a HCV PCR test to see if he had chronic Hepatitis C. That HCV PCR test came back negative, which meant he did not have chronic Hepatitis C.

Then he was tested again for a new job screening. This screening test would (probably) again be the antibody test. So Now he has again had the HCV PCR test to see if he has chronic Hepatitis C.

The important thing to know is that sometime during the past your friend was exposed to Hepatitis C. The positive antibody test shows that. But, his body was able to fight off the disease so that when he tested 1 1/2 years ago, he was negative for chronic Hepatitis C, which means that he did not have chronic Hepatitis C.

However, because he was exposed in the past, he will always show a positive antibody test. The antibody test shows only that he was exposed in the past. The antibody test cannot tell you if the person has chronic Hepatitis C. Then a HCV PCR has to be done to determine if he has a current or chronic infection.

As I said, because he was exposed in the past, he will always have a positive antibody test. Since he was negative last time for the HCV PCR, he will probably be negative this time too. He would only be positive for the PCR if he has been exposed to Hepatitis C in the past year and a half (since his last PCR test).

Usually, he would not have to worry about that as long as he was not exposed to Hepatitis C through a new contact/exposure. I know you live in Qatar. I know Qatar is an advanced country. However, if your friend had dental work, tattoos, body piercings, acupuncture, medical procedures, blood transfusions, or other procedures that exposed him to blood, and the equipment used was not properly cleaned, then he could have had a new exposure.


Here is some information on the tests:

Hepatitis C antibody (HCV Ab, anti-HCV)

This is the first test for determining whether you have been infected with hepatitis C. The results will come back as either positive or negative.
Explanation of test results:

If this test result is positive, it means your body was exposed to the hepatitis C virus and made antibodies (for more information, see "Antibody" section under Associated Lab Tests). However, it does not tell you whether you are still infected with hepatitis C. If the antibody test result is positive, you should be tested for hepatitis C RNA (see "Hepatitis C RNA"), which determines whether you are chronically infected. The lab might perform this RNA test automatically if your hepatitis C antibody test is positive or your doctor might need to order the Hepatitis C RNA test separately.

If the antibody test result is negative, it means you have not been infected with the hepatitis C virus, and further testing for hepatitis C usually is not needed.
Other things to know:

    After a successful course of treatment for hepatitis C, the hepatitis C antibody remains detectable, but the hepatitis C RNA will be undetectable.
    Any patient with a positive test result for the hepatitis C antibody should have additional tests to determine whether or not the virus is still active.

Hepatitis C RNA qualitative testing

The qualitative HCV RNA tests use either a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or a process called transcription-mediated amplification (TMA). Either type of qualitative test will report whether the hepatitis C virus is present in the bloodstream or not. The result is reported as either "detected" or "not detected."
Explanation of test results:

If a qualitative RNA test is positive (detected), then it is confirmed that the patient has chronic hepatitis C. The "qualitative" test is more accurate than the "quantitative" test because qualitative tests are able to detect very low levels of the virus.
Other things to know:

    If a patient has a quantitative test that shows no detectable virus, but has a positive result with the qualitative test, it means there is a very low level of virus that can be detected only with the qualitative test.
    The qualitative test will show a negative result when patients have a successful response to interferon treatment.
    The qualitative test result also will be negative when patients clear the hepatitis C virus on their own, soon after infection, or "spontaneously."

http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/patient/diagnosis/labtests-single-page.asp

I hope this helps.