Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does it mean when different types of blood tests for hepatitis C give different results?

The first test your doctor probably will perform is called an "antibody" (or anti-HCV) test. A positive result means that you were exposed to the hepatitis C virus at some point in your life.

If the result is positive, your doctor will perform a second test called hepatitis C virus RNA (or HCV RNA) to see if the virus is still in your body. If the RNA test result is positive, then you have chronic hepatitis C infection.

So what does it mean if you have a positive result for the first test but a negative result for the second?

1. The most likely explanation is that you were infected with hepatitis C but your own immune system fought off the virus. This means you do not have chronic hepatitis C infection, and are not at risk of any medical problems related to hepatitis C.
2. The second possible explanation is that you were infected with hepatitis C but the amount of virus in your body is too small to be detected by the standard test. In this case, you need a special test, known as "HCV RNA qualitative," which can detect the virus at very low levels. If this result is positive, then you have chronic hepatitis C infection, but with very low levels of virus. If the result is negative, then you are not infected.
3. The third possible explanation is that your first test results (from the HCV antibody test) are incorrect, and you weren't infected with hepatitis C in the first place. This error doesn't happen very often, but it's possible. In this situation, you may need a third kind of test, called HCV RIBA test. A negative result means you were never infected with hepatitis C. A positive result means you were infected and your original test was indeed accurate.