chronic hepatitis C screening - odin

[ArchivalUser]

How do we screen for HCV?

[ArchivalUser]

In practice, we have to order hepatitis panel (A,B,C), if Hepatitis C Virus Antibody is:

1)-HIGH positive (Greater than 8.0), collect new specimen and test for hepatitis C RNA by PCR--->if positive-----> currently infected----->chronic HCV---->Hepatitis C Virus Genotyping by PCR(consider liver biopsy)-->Treatment decision------>Monitor Tt with HCV RNA Quant.


2)-Low posistive(1.0 to 8.0), then order HCV Quantitative Real-Time PCR---->

*IF NEG---->FP or infected but recovered.
*If + go for HCV genotyping and tt plan.

[ArchivalUser]

Thanks, OKT3. So screening is done by anti HCV antibodies and then we are doing HCV RNA and then genotyping.
Because it was a question in UW saying that screening is done by HCV RNA, which is not for screening, but for replication, treatment decision and monitoring...

[ArchivalUser]

odin, as far as I know, screening is done by testing HCV antibodies, that is correct, however UW mentioned HCV RNA, who knows but I think it can't be for screening.

[ArchivalUser]

yeah, the problem that UW mentioned that screening should be done using HCV RNA !!

But i ll go with anti bodies, using RNA PCR for confirmation.