Hepatitis A IgM Antibody

Test Code

HAVABM

Alias/See Also

Included in Hepatitis Profile

CPT Codes
86709

Preferred Specimen

Serum (gold top tube)

Minimum Volume

1 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

Lithium Heparin Plasma (green top tube)

Transport Container

Serum (gold top) or Lithium Heparin Plasma (green top) Tube

Transport Temperature

Room Temperature or Refrigeration

Specimen Stability

Room Temperature - 8 hours; Refrigerated - 7 days

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Hemolysis, turbidity, Quantity Not Sufficient, IV contamination

Methodology
Chemiluminescence

Setup Schedule

Daily Upon Receipt

Report Available

Immediately upon completion of test resulting in LIS.

Limitations

A negative test result does not exclude the possibility of exposure to or infection with hepatitis A. Levels of Hepatitis A IgM Antibody may be undetectable both in early infection and late after infection. Retest in 2 weeks if Hepatitis A is suspected in early infection stages. In addition, if testing is performed several weeks to months after infection, it is possible that Hepatitis A IgM antibodies have already risen to peak levels and have now fallen below detectable levels.

Reference Range

Interpretation:

Negative: Non-reactive for Hepatitis A IgM antibodies; does not rule out infection with Hepatitis A, as levels of Hepatitis A IgM antibodies may be below the cutoff. Retest in 2 weeks if Hepatitis A is suspected in early infection stages. In addition, if testing is performed several weeks to months after infection, it is possible that Hepatitis A IgM antibodies have already risen to peak levels and have now fallen below detectable levels. Does not rule out other types of viral hepatitis.

Equivocal: Sample is Borderline Reactive for anti-HAV IgM antibodies. It is recommended that a new specimen be obtained in two weeks and retested.

Positive: Specimen is presumed positive for Hepatitis A IgM Antibodies

Clinical Significance

IgM antibodies against HAV are detected soon after the onset of symptoms. Persistence of the IgM response is extremely variable, with specific IgM detected for less than one month in some cases to greater than one year in others. In most cases, IgM antibodies against HAV persist for a period of three to six months after which they decline to levels that are below detection. The Anti-HAV IgM assay is designed to detect anti-HAV IgM as a laboratory diagnosis of acute or recent hepatitis A infection. The detection of anti-HAV IgM can be useful for the differential diagnosis of hepatitis A from other forms of viral hepatitis. Testing with other hepatitis markers is required.

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.