Hepatitis Forums
Hepatitis C Prevention, Transmission and Testing => Am I Infected? => Topic started by: Mendez on February 28, 2019, 10:11:23 pm
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Greetings ,I hope you can help me with this..I have a question about HCV testing;to keep the story short,I had a condom burst during sex with a sex worker,I had a cut on my manhood..Fearing I may have contracted Hepatitis C and HIV I took PEP and tested 4th gen Elisa HIV and antibody HepC 24 weeks after exposure..I really thought I was done but I am now reading of coinfections with HIV/HepC delaying seroconversion to as much as 12 month..My question is do you think my HepC results are conclusive..I keep on breaking out with itchy hives at night that disappear after a couple of hours and an itchy dry cough
Thank you a million for your time
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Even if you have an active HIV infection with AIDS impacting your bodies immune system hepatitis c antibody testing 6 months after exposure is conclusive.
The symptoms you list are not associated with hep c infection. The majority of people infected with hep c have no idea they are infected because most have no symptoms which is why hep c is considered a silent illness. Generally it takes decades of infection before someone will have noticible symptoms and those are most often the symptoms of liver disease.
However, I am not any kind of medical worker I am simply a patient who had hep c for many years before I was finally cured. Therefore, I cannot offer medical advice. For medical guidance I recommend discussing your concerns with a medical professional like your personal physician.
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Lynn gave a perfect answer. I just want to reiterate that the delays in seroconversion are for those who already have HIV and are highly immune-deficient. Even in those cases, the delay is rare. You do not fit any of the criteria for this delay.
As for your other symptoms, for those you need to consult a doctor.