Confussed

[cpeddy52]

I had hep c years ago when it  was known as not A or B.. I have been told by many different doctors and nurses that since I have the antibodies in my blood that I won't get hep c again, my chances are so rare that its not even on the radar. Is this true? I'm so confused.

[HectorSF]

Unfortunately these doctors and nurses are sadly uneducated about the basics facts about  the hepatitis C virus.

Antibodies are proteins from the immune system made to attack viruses, bacteria, etc. A positive HCV antibody test means that a person has at some stage been infected with hepatitis C. However, this test remains positive even in people who have cleared the virus from their body. Either if their own immune system killed the virus or a person treated the virus and cure it.

Yes, you can be reinfected if you are exposed to the virus again. The immune system can not always kill the virus (that is why so many of us have to treat the virus). The antibodies from the first infection will always remain detectable from the initial infection. That is why a PCR test is performed to detect reinfection. Not an antibody test.

Hector

[FlGuy]

Even if you have HCV antibodies you can get acute/chronic HCV again if you are re-infected.

[heart_in_the_keyes]

I'll let our medical posters answer this better for you but when I was a EMT in a ER I would chart a patient as non A or non B,,,..,got the shots for A&B...and when I was told that I had C was stunned....doctor said "remember when you'd chart someone as non A or B....it was probably C we just didn't have a definitive on it at that time."  Not until the late 1980's,

A....B....and C  are all different hepitatis's   You could have A or B and never have C.  Personally I have C but have never had A or B.  

Someone will post on here some really helpful information soon for you...if you want to really freak out go to the CDC and look up unknown hepitatis's...there are many that haven't even been named yet.  I had to stop reading....freaked me out.