Hepatitis Forums

Hepatitis C Prevention, Transmission and Testing => Am I Infected? => Topic started by: getthroughthis on October 04, 2015, 06:31:21 am

Title: Rate of false positive HCV RNA tests
Post by: getthroughthis on October 04, 2015, 06:31:21 am

Hi,
I can't find my original topic anymore for some reason.
I have had negative HCV antibody test after 15 weeks 5 days and negative rapid antigen test after 16 weeks.
As the wait for 6 months is making me extremely depressed I am considering getting  an RNA test, but I am worried about false positives.
Does anyone know what the rate of false positives is with this test? I know that with HIV RNA test the rate is very high so wondering if the HCV RNA test is the same.
many thanks for any answers

Title: Re: Rate of false positive HCV RNA tests
Post by: Mike on October 04, 2015, 10:05:30 pm

"Just as with testing for HIV, a false negative occurs during what’s known as the “window period”—the time after infection but before the immune system has developed antibodies. For hep C this is about four to six weeks. During this period, because there is no antibody to detect, the ELISA will come up negative. However, an RNA test will identify the presence of the virus, especially considering how highly sensitive that test is and how quickly the virus multiplies to high levels in the body."

Best wishes, Mike

Title: Re: Rate of false positive HCV RNA tests
Post by: getthroughthis on October 05, 2015, 01:34:10 am

Hi Mike, Thanks for the answer. However I was looking for answer to the question of how many false POSITIVES there are.

Title: Re: Rate of false positive HCV RNA tests
Post by: Lynn K on October 05, 2015, 02:10:08 am

If you test positive with the test for the virus and you have a viral load you have hepatitis c

http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/pdfs/hcv_graph.pdf

However with the new generation medicines now available the vast majority are being cured. Treatment is much better tolerated and of shorter duration than previous treatments so even if you do test positive for hep c you can be cured.

So either you are not infected in which case no problem or you could be infected and if so cured so also not a problem.

So in either scenario you have nothing to worry about no problem either way.

Hep c generally takes decades to do significant damage.

Get tested, get treated, get cured

Title: Re: Rate of false positive HCV RNA tests
Post by: Mike on October 05, 2015, 05:35:06 pm

The false-positive rate for the ELISA test is about 3%.

Best wishes, Mike