Description
Hepatitis C is a virus that attacks the human liver. It causes damage and, over time, destroys the liver by killing off healthy cells. The virus leaves tough scar tissue behind which keeps the liver from working properly. Hepatitis C Antibody with Reflex to HCV, RNA, Quantitative, Real-Time PCR - Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a major cause of hepatitis. The clinical symptoms of an HCV infection are variable. Infection with HCV results in a chronic infection in 50 to 80% of cases.
The "window" between HCV acquisition and seroreactivity is highly variable; up to six months. Immune system makes special proteins when harmful foreign microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses enter your body. These special proteins are called antibodies. The human body makes millions of different antibodies. Each one is tailored to fight a particular microorganism you’ve been exposed to. The antibodies try to neutralize or destroy the foreign invader before it can do harm. Hepatitis C antibodies are made by white blood cells and attack only the hepatitis C virus. They bind to the virus and set it up for attack by other parts of the immune system. The hepatitis C antibody test is a blood test that looks for hepatitis C antibodies in the bloodstream.
A positive result usually means that you’ve been exposed to the hepatitis C virus. A positive result can occasionally be a false positive. A negative result means that no antibodies have been detected in your bloodstream. This could indicate that there is no infection or you were exposed so recently that not enough antibodies have built up yet to be detectable. Or it could be a false negative.
