What are the confirmatory blood tests?
A positive hepatitis C antibody test indicates that you’ve been EXPOSED to the hepatitis C virus, but doesn’t tell you whether or not you STILL HAVE the virus in your system. There are additional tests that need to be done to determine whether you have chronic hepatitis C and to what extent your liver may be damaged. HCV-EIA/ELISA/anti-HCV. This test is used to detect the presence of hepatitis C antibodies in your blood. It doesn’t tell whether you have a current / ongoing infection or not. Additional tests are indicated to CONFIRM your hepatitis C diagnosis. RIBA. This test is used to confirm the results of the HCV-EIA, especially in people with anti-HCV+ results who are considered low-risk. HCV RNA. PCR Qualitative: This test detects the presence or absence of hepatitis C virus in your blood. This test is most often used during initial diagnosis process to confirm a positive HCV-EIA test. HCV RNA. PCR Quantitative: This test measures the amount of viral particles in a specific sample
