Hepatitis C Antibody, Pregnant, Lupus

[chrissy983]

Hello, I just had my prenatal blood work done, and it came back that I was positive for Hep C Antibody. I have lupus and RA. I was receiving a blood product treatment on and off for several years. It was a 10 hour treatment called Immuniglobulin, could it be reading false because of this?

[chrissy983]

Went to the hepatology January 16th, and today February 18th, the results were finally back, but didn't say online in my chart what they were. I'm assuming everything is fine, as the Dr thought the same thing. How long do those tests usually take? He reran them all to be certain.

[chrissy983]

January 16th I think, ill have to check again. had to reschedule it the last time cus our roads were covered in ice. my liver levels were normal, and I get routine blood work from my rheumy who also checks my liver levels. they've only ever been high once, and that was about 2 years ago, my rheumy thought it could be from the methotrexate I was on, or the IVIG treatment. he tested them again, 4 days later called and said they were normal. =]

and thank you! January 6th we find out the sex of the baby!

[flyinlynn]

Chrissy

Just so you know there is no such thing as remission in hepatitis c. If you have the antibody test it only tells that at some time you were exposed to the virus and may have been able to fight it off. Only if you have the test for the actual virus itself the HCV/RNA by PCR will you know if you are currently infected.

Kinda like you can't be a little bit pregnant either you have hep C or you do not. If the HCV/RNA by PCR test is undetected you do not have hepatitis C.

As I listed above other things can harm your liver other than Hepatitis C like the autoimmune hepatitis which has no relationship to hep c. The hepatologist should be able to get it all sorted out for you what the specific cause of  what is going on with you. When do you see the doctor?

Do you have elevated liver enzymes? That would indicate you liver is under attack from something.

Good luck to you and the new little one
Lynn

[chrissy983]

thank you! that's where they have me going, hepatologist  at a liver disease center. I will DEFF ask about that, it sounds better than the alternative! =]

I had all the liver enzyme tests and they said it was all normal, but I still have symptoms even though they said I was in remission. I get pain in the right side some times. which makes me nervous, but ive found drinking green tea helps it greatly.

[flyinlynn]

Hi Chrissy

There are blood tests that are somewhat accurate at staging liver disease I think called fibrosure others here know more than I do never had that test. Also there maybe a new machine caled a fibro scan similar to an ultra sound except for a light sort of pulse you will feel like a lightly forceful tapping. Totally non invasive and takes about 5 to 10 minuets with immediate results with a high degree of accuracy. I did one in my Hepatologists office in a liver transplant center. You could ask your doctor about the availability of that test for your area

Good luck
Lynn

[chrissy983]

Ty! The way I was reading up on the autoimmune, it seems more likely I have it than the other, all though I did receive a blood product off an on for 11 years. The risk for the autoimmune hepatitis is higher when you have RA and lupus, which I have both. Also, is a liver biopsy absolutely needed? I don't think I'd be able to handle that, and with my connective tissue disorder, I would not heal correctly. I heal from the outside in, and the bleeding makes me nervous if I were to get one.

[flyinlynn]

Hi Chrissy

Glad to hear the baby is doing well.

There are several different types of hepatitis. Hepa reffers to the liver and itis means inflamation so basically hepatitis means liver inflamation.

Causes could be:

1. Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D & E)
2. Alcoholic hepatitis
3. Toxic and drug-induced hepatitis
4. Autoimmune
5. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
6. Ischemic hepatitis
7. Giant cell hepatitis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis

http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/understanding-hepatitis-basics

Good luck and congrats on the little one!
Lynn

[chrissy983]

Also, baby is doing extremely well. Thank you for the congrats. It is my first =]

[chrissy983]

Thank you everyone for your advice. The test was repeated a week later, and everything was normal, they said I was in remission. However the nurse practitioner stated she thinks I may very well have autoimmune hepatitis instead of hep c. can these two be mixed up? I have Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Epilepsy and a connective tissue disorder. I see hepatology here in a few weeks =]

[Livelife777]

If your Dr told you that you have the Hep C antibody that does not mean you have Hep C currently.  Chances are likely that you are Hep C free.  Double check with your Dr but sounds to me you have no worries.
Best Wishes for a healthy, happy baby!
....Kim

[Dee1956]

Congratulations!  I just wanted to say hi, the people above have given you excellent information.
Keep in touch, there are many wonderful people here that will help you.
Take Care
Dee

[patra_]

Congratulations on the new baby!  

Welcome to the Forum.

I just wanted to add that, you should not have to worry about the baby -  normally only something like 1 - 3% of babies born to hepc Moms have the disease.  The others are all hepc free.

I would wait til the baby is about 18 months old and have her/him tested, if you have a concern about that.  And, as Lynn told you for yourself (applies to baby also, IF baby is born infected - a big IF), this is a very slow developing condition AND ther are some wonderful meds available now, and several coming out in the next few momths, even easier to take and w/ less side effects, so don't worry or stress.  Cure is available!!  

Good Luck and Good Health to you AND to your Baby!

Pat

[flyinlynn]

Hi

Testing positive for the antibody does not necessarily mean you are currently infected only that at some point you were exposed to the virus. About 25% of people exposed to the hepatitis c virus clear on their own. Even though these people don't have the virus once exposed they will test positive for the antibodies for the rest of their lives. The only way to know if you are currently infected is to have a blood test specifically for the presence for the hepatitis C virus. I have some information from this link:

http://www.hepmag.com/articles/2512_18753.shtml

HCV Viral Load Testing: To look for HCV, a health care provider can request a qualitative PCR test to determine whether or not the virus is in a person’s bloodstream. A health care provider can also order a quantitative PCR or bDNA test to check for the presence of HCV and to figure out the person’s HCV viral load (the amount of HCV in a measurement of blood).

If you do currently have hep c you will need to wait until your child is born before starting treatment. But don't worry there are new medications recently approved that are much easier to take, for shorter duration of treatment, and much more effective than what was previously available. So have your baby, get treated and get cured.

Good luck and congratulations on your new baby!
Lynn