Can I get a false positive result for hepatitis c?
Kimberly, False positives do occur on these types of tests. More investigation is needed in your case. Hemolyzed samples (free hemoglobin in the serum) can cause false reactions, gross lipemia, recent vaccinations may interfer, if you received any blood products in the hospital (plasma, platelets, RhoGam (or Rh Immune Globulin) – these are suspect as well. Blood screening helps to prevent transmission of hepatitis, however it is not 100% foolproof. The first indication that yours MAY be a false positive is your pregnancy. Pregnancy does lots of weird things to the serum and can be a source of a false positive. I’ve had positive HIV tests on a pregnant woman that came back absolutely negative on the confirmation test. Having a second test, by a second method if possible is the best place to start. In addition, you need to have a physician evaluate you to see if your clinical symptoms and other test results (liver enzymes, etc) support a diagnosis of Hep C. Edit: your physician should no
