What do the Hepatitis Tests Mean?
Understanding Hepatitis B test results is no easy task, because the interpretation of one test may be dependent on the results of another. Also, doctors, labs, parents and patients often confuse the names of the tests. The Hepatitis B surface antigen test indicates whether or not your child currently has Hepatitis B. It actually tests for the virus itself. (The hepatitis B”e” antigen (HBeAg) test also indicates the presence of the virus, along with amount of infectiousness.) The other two tests – the antibody tests (surface and core) – measure either your child’s current or your child’s past reaction to Hepatitis B. The most important test is for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The results of this test indicate whether or not your child has the virus now. A positive (+) hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test results means that your child has hepatitis B. A a negative (-) hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test result means that he or she does not have the virus now. Hepatit
