Aa
HELP!!
Ok,my husband is a herion iv user. He has recently cleaned up his act and got clean. He was informed at a plasma center that he has hep c. What type of test do they give there is it accurate?? So now of course im sick with worry mad at him. Im terrifed that i have it. I was tested when i was pregnant about 6 months ago but not recently. I went to the er and they did blood work and said my liver enzines where high. But i also have a history of taking to many hydrocodone. I do have a issue with it and im hoping that that is the reason why my liver enzines are high. And my son also used my husbands toothbrush and i am so terrifed that my 3 year old might of picked this up!!!
Best Answer
Another thing you should know that might ease your mind is that HCV is only transmitted from blood to blood, so it is pretty unlikely that you or your son would have gotten it from usual familiar contact. It is true that it is possible to transmit via shared razors or toothbrushes of other grooming tools, but it doesn't happen very often because it still requires that the infected person gets their blood on the tool and then, within the maximum four day period in which the virus can remain viable in the environment, another person has to use that tool in such a way as to get that infected bit of blood into their own bloodstream (not just on their skin or teeth). It is definitely recommended that such families NOT share any such grooming tools, but odds are pretty low to begin with. Like many others here, I lived a normal life with my spouse, with no special precautions, only to find out after 20 years of marriage that the transfusion I'd had 10 years into our marriage had infected me with HCV. We've now been together for 37 years and my husband still is negative for HCV. We take precautions now if course, but there were 10 years in which we didn't know. Others on this site have similar stories. Now that you know, get all the family tested, but its not likely that others will have been infected. Do start taking precautions from now on. You can learn a lot about the virus at http://hcvadvocate.org/. Good luck!
What type of test do they give there is it accurate??
They usually give the antibodies test and it is usually pretty accurate, however just because he is positive for the for the antibodies doesn't mean he has a active HCV infection, approx 20-25% of all people who come in to contact with the virus clear it with their own immune system, follow up testing with a HCV RNA by PCR is needed to confirm if he has a active infection
Is it possible for someone to become infected with HCV and then spontaneously clear the infection?
Yes. Approximately 15%–25% of persons clear the virus from their bodies without treatment and do not develop chronic infection; the reasons for this are not well known.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm#c5
What to do if the Hepatitis C Antibody Test is Reactive
•If the Hepatitis C Antibody Test is reactive, an additional, follow-up test will be needed to see if the Hepatitis C virus is currently in the blood.
•If the additional blood test is:
Negative—this means a person was infected with Hepatitis C, but the virus has now been cleared from his or her body.
Positive—this means a person currently has the virus in his or her blood and is chronically infected.
•If a person has a reactive antibody test and a positive follow-up test, he or she needs to talk to a health care provider experienced in treating Hepatitis C.
http://www.cdc.gov/knowmorehepatitis/LearnMore.htm
They usually give the antibodies test and it is usually pretty accurate, however just because he is positive for the for the antibodies doesn't mean he has a active HCV infection, approx 20-25% of all people who come in to contact with the virus clear it with their own immune system, follow up testing with a HCV RNA by PCR is needed to confirm if he has a active infection
Is it possible for someone to become infected with HCV and then spontaneously clear the infection?
Yes. Approximately 15%–25% of persons clear the virus from their bodies without treatment and do not develop chronic infection; the reasons for this are not well known.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm#c5
What to do if the Hepatitis C Antibody Test is Reactive
•If the Hepatitis C Antibody Test is reactive, an additional, follow-up test will be needed to see if the Hepatitis C virus is currently in the blood.
•If the additional blood test is:
Negative—this means a person was infected with Hepatitis C, but the virus has now been cleared from his or her body.
Positive—this means a person currently has the virus in his or her blood and is chronically infected.
•If a person has a reactive antibody test and a positive follow-up test, he or she needs to talk to a health care provider experienced in treating Hepatitis C.
http://www.cdc.gov/knowmorehepatitis/LearnMore.htm
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