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Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies (HCV) with Reflex to RNA Quant PCR
MessageReflex to HCVQP for all equivocal and reactive results.
Included in Hepatitis Panel (HECAB)
Included in Hepatitis Panel (HECAB)
Test Code
HCAB
CPT Codes
86803
Preferred Specimen
GOLD (SST)
Other Acceptable Specimens
Serum (Red) or Gold (SST) or Orange (OJ) or Tiger Top Serum
Instructions
Included in Hepatitis Panel, Acute
Included in Hepatitis Panel, Chronic
Included in Hepatitis Panel, Chronic
Specimen Stability
- Test samples as soon as possible after collecting.
- Store samples at 2 – 80C for up to 7 days if not tested immediately.
- Freeze samples at or below -200 C for longer storage. Frozen samples must be stored in a non-frost free freezer. Specimens may be frozen and thawed up to 4 times. Thoroughly mix thawed specimens and centrifuge at 10,000 X g for 10 minutes. Transfer the supernatant to a clean tube prior to testing.
Setup Schedule
24x7
Reference Range
Non-reactive
Clinical Significance
Hepatitis C (HCV) is a virus that causes an infection of the liver that is characterized by liver inflammation and damage. Hepatitis C tests are a group of tests that are performed to detect, diagnose, and monitor the treatment of a hepatitis C viral infection. The most common test for HCV looks for antibodies in the blood that are produced in response to an HCV infection. Other tests detect the presence of viral RNA, the amount of viral RNA present, or determine the specific subtype of the virus.
Hepatitis C is one of five hepatitis viruses identified so far, including A, B, D, and E, that are known to cause the disease. HCV is spread by exposure to contaminated blood, primarily though the sharing of needles by intravenous drug users, but also by sharing personal items contaminated by blood such as razors, through sex with an infected person, via healthcare occupational exposure, and, less commonly, from mother to baby during childbirth. Before tests for HCV became available in the 1990s, HCV was often transmitted by blood transfusions.
While HCV is not as contagious as hepatitis B, there is currently no vaccine to prevent infection. Hepatitis C infection is a common cause of chronic liver disease in North America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there were approximately 30,500 cases of acute hepatitis C in the U.S. in 2014 and that there are 2.7 to 3.9 million people in the U.S. living with chronic hepatitis C.
Many of those who are infected have no symptoms and are not aware of the condition. The acute HCV infection may cause few to mild nonspecific symptoms, and the chronic infection may simmer quietly for a decade or two before causing sufficient liver damage to affect liver function.
Hepatitis C infections cause increased risk of developing some other serious conditions:
Hepatitis C is one of five hepatitis viruses identified so far, including A, B, D, and E, that are known to cause the disease. HCV is spread by exposure to contaminated blood, primarily though the sharing of needles by intravenous drug users, but also by sharing personal items contaminated by blood such as razors, through sex with an infected person, via healthcare occupational exposure, and, less commonly, from mother to baby during childbirth. Before tests for HCV became available in the 1990s, HCV was often transmitted by blood transfusions.
While HCV is not as contagious as hepatitis B, there is currently no vaccine to prevent infection. Hepatitis C infection is a common cause of chronic liver disease in North America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there were approximately 30,500 cases of acute hepatitis C in the U.S. in 2014 and that there are 2.7 to 3.9 million people in the U.S. living with chronic hepatitis C.
Many of those who are infected have no symptoms and are not aware of the condition. The acute HCV infection may cause few to mild nonspecific symptoms, and the chronic infection may simmer quietly for a decade or two before causing sufficient liver damage to affect liver function.
Hepatitis C infections cause increased risk of developing some other serious conditions:
- About 75-85% will develop chronic HCV infection.
- About 5-20% will develop cirrhosis over 20 years; recent projections suggest that almost 45% will eventually develop cirrhosis.
- HCV causes death in about 1-5% of those chronically infected who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Hepatitis C antibody tests are used to screen individuals for the infection, including, for example, people with no signs or symptoms but with risk factors, people who have symptoms associated with hepatitis or liver disease, or those who have been exposed to the virus.
Performing Laboratory
CRMC Laboratory
