when is hep c test conclusive?
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During the first three months after any exposure to hep C, hep C antibody testing may not provide an accurate result. It can take up to three months for your body to produce enough hep C antibodies to be detectable in the test. This is known as the “window period”.
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If you think you may have been exposed to hepatitis C, taking a test will put your mind at rest or, if the test is positive, allow you to start treatment early. GP surgeries, sexual health clinics, genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics or drug treatment services all offer testing for hepatitis C.
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Anti-HCV antibodies: These are proteins your body makes when it finds the hep C virus in your blood. They usually show up about 12 weeks after infection. How long does it take to get results? It usually takes a few days to a week to get results, though a rapid test is available in some places.
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Current HCV Guidelines recommend testing all pregnant women for hepatitis C infection, ideally at the initiation of prenatal care. Pregnant women who have risk factors for hepatitis C especially need to be tested. Regardless of risk factors, women are encouraged to ask their providers if this test will be performed.
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The test for HCV antibodies, as well as follow-up blood tests, can be done in most labs that perform routine blood work. A regular blood sample will be taken and analyzed. No special steps, such as fasting, are needed on your part.
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This test can detect the actual presence of the hepatitis B virus (called the “surface antigen”) in your blood. If a person tests “positive,” then further testing is needed to determine if this is a new “acute” infection or a “chronic” hepatitis B infection.
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Screening for hepatitis C is performed by measuring antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) in a person's serum. A positive test (detection of the antibody) is not a diagnosis of the disease; it only indicates that a person was previously exposed to hepatitis C.
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Because NAA tests search for the bacteria's genetic material, it is very unlikely that a false-positive test result will occur. The incubation period for chlamydia is 1-5 days, so wait at least five days after potential chlamydia exposure before getting tested to ensure the most accurate results possible.
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A blood test, called an HCV antibody test, is used to find out if someone has ever been infected with the hepatitis C virus. The HCV antibody test, sometimes called the anti-HCV test, looks for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus in blood.
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How long can you live with untreated hep C? The disease affects everyone differently, so there's no rule. But about 70% to 80% of people with will get chronic help C. Within 20 years, about 20% to 30% of those people will get cirrhosis.
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Screening can detect the infection before it has caused serious damage to a person's liver. Screening is most beneficial for people at high risk for being infected with hepatitis C, such as those who have ever injected drugs. People who received a blood transfusion before 1992 also are at increased risk.
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The viral load of hepatitis C refers to the amount of virus present in the bloodstream. The quantitative HCV RNA tests measure the amount of hepatitis C virus in the blood. The result will be an exact number, such as "1,215,422 IU/L." Many people refer to the quantitative measurement as the hepatitis C "viral load."
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If the “HBsAg” was positive, this means that you are either chronically infected with hepatitis B or were recently infected. If only the “anti-HBc” was positive, it is most likely that you either had a “false-positive” test or are immune to hepatitis B infection (had hepatitis B infec- tion sometime in the past).
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This is especially important because you may have the virus without any obvious symptoms. The long incubation period for HCV can make it difficult to tell if you have the virus.
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The test may be negative because it typically takes 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies.
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Antibodies are chemicals released into the bloodstream when someone gets infected. Test results can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to come back. Rapid anti-HCV tests are available in some health clinics and the results of these tests are available in 20 to 30 minutes.
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How long after exposure to HBV can HBsAg be detected in an infected patient's blood? HBsAg will be detected in an infected person's blood an average of 4 weeks (range: 1–9 weeks) after exposure to the virus.