I tested positive forHep C about a month ago. Since then, I retested using a more accurate test because I guess the original test that they used is only 85% accurate. My latest results came in but I wont be able to talk to my doctor about it till next week as he is in the Phillipines. I went to his office and got a copy of the results hoping that someone here could help me to understand what the results are. Here it is:

Test:
HEPC RNA (bDNA)
HVC RNA, QUANT

Result:
Linear range: 615 - 7,692,310 IU,mL
Effective immediately with the conversion to the new Bayer HCV RNA 3.0 Assay, the quantification values will be reported in the WHO standardized units of IU/mL. The older HCV 2.0 Assay reported values in Eq/mL whcih correlated with a Bayer reference standard; Eq/mL were essentially equivilent copies/mL. While each lot may have a unique conversion factor from Eq/mL to IU/mL, in general a single IU/mL is approximately 5 Eq/mL. Thus the linear range of the new 3.0 assay is 615 IU/mL to 7,692,310 IU/mL which correlates to approximately 3,200 to 40,000,000 copies/ml.

Since this is a quantitative assay, a result of less than 615 IU/mL indicates that the level of virus was below the linear range of the assay and could not be accurately quantified, but does not mean the virus is not present.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. It certainly doesnt look like bad news. My understanding of it is that my viral load is so low that it couldnt be measured. If my understanding is correct, what does that mean in terms of my prognosis? If I have to wait till next week to get the real facts about this, I'll go nuts

Thanks in advance.

~Ralphie~

[This message has been edited by rayralph (edited 12-10-2002).]

Ray ralplh-
Even their new testing system seems outdated with a 615 range IU/Ml -IU=international units,
but in any case if your results are below the 615 IU/ml that would be a good thing,looks a little confusing, is this all they gave you, it looks more like a description of their newer test.


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--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil

It does look like a blank line beside "RESULTS:"

There isnt a blank line beside reults. It's just the way my post came out.

"RESULTS:" is the heading for everything I typed under it.

I put in a call to my doctor's nurse practioner today. Hopefully she'll call back and explain this thing.

Lost: What levels do the newer tests go down to?

Oh Jesus, I just realized the result is 3,532,990 IU/mL

Now what? That is high isnt?>??



[This message has been edited by rayralph (edited 12-11-2002).]

200,000 to 1,000,000 low

1,000,000 to 5,000,000 medium

5,000,000 to 25,000,000 high

above 25,000,000 very high

Ray ralph-
I brought this up from one of my other posts-

If I remember this correctly the QUANITIVE PCR test will not accuratly assay the HCV virus below at best 400 copies/ml or IU/ml, but the QUALITATIVE pcr test will pick up the virus at as low as 200 copies/ml or Iu/ml of blood.

Therefore some people that have had the older Quanitive PCR test and and were below 400 copies/ml may think they were undected, but with the qualitative test they would prove to be still positive.


Be well



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--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil

Ray ralph-
Then we disscussed the newest PCR test- TMA,
The older is the QUANITIVE, the newer is QUALITATIVE,
with the newest being the TMA, this below is from one of my other posts-

This TMA which means Transcription Mediated Amplifacation , is going to be outstanding in the HCV world, from what I read it makes the present PCR tests usless, I am not yet sure if we [my wife and I] tested under this new TMA.
The method most commonly used in the North America to detect HCV in the plasma of HCV-infected patients is the RT-PCR (Roche's Cobas Amplicor HCV), approved in July 2001 by the FDA. However, there is another method for qualitative testing of HCV RNA that is also used: transcription mediated amplification (TMA).
My research found that the articles I was reading stated that TMA was not yet FDA-approved,these articles may be not up to date though, this assay is used by laboratories at institutions in the USA such as Stanford University Medical Center, New England Medical Center, New York State Dept. of Health, and Kaiser Permanente.
TMA, an isothermal, autocatalytic target amplification method, which is beyond what I need to know, but is a tool that can identify infection earlier, identify clearance of virus earlier, and better identify respsonders vs. non-responders
IT measures to 10 IU/ml , with the TMA they will know the day you came in contact with HCV, -well almost,but some day, it is good to see all the new research going into the field of HCV.

Be well-




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--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil

Hi ray--

if indeed your result is 3.5 million iu (more or less equal to 15million viral particles on the older test), then yes, that's a high number.

where did that no. come from? its not anywhere in the results you posted here.

do not worry overmuch about viral load. if high, as is mine, then % successful in treatment is a bit worse, but otherwise it is not such an important no. in hcv. In HIV, viral load is a key health measure, but in the case of hep c, it seems hard to find a correlation between viral load and any other key indicator: liver health, symptoms, etc.

hc virus is not primarily one of the blood (as hiv may be) therefore the key count would be how much virus is there in the liver, brain, spleen, etc. And this, of course, we cannot measure.

the more serious test will be a biopsy--discuss with your doc. this is the one true test of whether your liver is suffering or not. many folks with high viral cdounts for decades (like me) still show little liver fibrosis on biopsy. most, in fact.

not to worry. you have plenty of time to talk this out with your doc. hcv is a very slow moving disease for the large majority of us.

peace

sean

where did that no. come from? its not anywhere in the results you posted here
It kinda snuck by me. I actually thought it was the lot number of the sample or soemthing like that.

How do they determine if the virus is active? I have a high viral load, my enzyme levels are raised...Could the virus still be dormant? Is it considered active only after outward signs of symptoms are notived like fatigue and such?

I just had my biopsy yesterday. Who knows what kinda news that's gonna bring.

To top it all off, my doctor's nurse practioner called back, I woke up out of a dead sleep and talked to her, and cant remember a word of what she said.

This isnt my day! Argh!!

I know one thing, I want some Pegasys and Ribavirun...yesterday.

WOW, excellent synopsis, Real!

Of those who do go on to cirrhosis, only a few of those will progress to end stage liver disease. Even cirrhosis is a condition that can be managed for a very long time successfully. And, it may never become decompensated liver disease, meaning the liver has ceased to meet the needs of the body and transplant may be necessary.

Only two to three percent of those with hepatitis C will actually die of the disease. Many of those will die because they continue to drink (knowingly or not)and smoke, or due to liver cancer (an increasingly important issue for those with HCV) Basically they were diagnosed too late to intervene or they had a genetic predisposition to progress. That happens, too.

The vast majority of people with hepatitis C will live a full life and die of something else.


I am struck by one glaring fact that seems to escape most people when these discussion occur elsewhere-
the key to the entire issue may be early diagnosis.

Without access to a test, no patient knows to stop drinking, smoking or to be seen by a physician. Education is the key to this and programs of outreach are what that is all about. Relying on risk factors to make a testing decision is wrong. Risk factors are not a good standard to use. Every adult should have a test at age 20 or so and every five years thereafter.

If 20-30 year old infections are being diagnosed in middle aged people, when did they become infected?

To everyone reading this:

Please, you can do something about this. You can hand out brochures at your church (especially youth groups), schools, put them in employee lounges, in mail boxes when you take your stroll, in food bank bags, place small ads in newletters (hepatitis C-get tested)or whatever you can think up. This holiday season, you can give the community you live in the gift of knowledge in some way.

Also,you can spread the word on becoming an organ donor this Christmas Season. The gift of Life is the greatest gift of all. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplant and the leading cause of death is no available organ.

HCOP is also trying to help those with hepC this holiday season. If you wish to help, let me know. I have a list as long as my arm of folks in need of a boost this season. What we are doing is giving grocery store gift cards because we are national and that is the easiest way to manage the miles.

I hope you help,

Happy Season one and all.You are a great group of folks!

thanbey
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)

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[This message has been edited by thanbey (edited 12-12-2002).]

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