What is hepatitis C antibody positive? Why is it so contagious?

Hepatitis C antibody refers to an antibody on the surface of hepatitis C. Studies have found that this antibody has no protective ability for the body. If it shows positive, it means that there are hepatitis C antibodies in the body. It also indicates that there is a high possibility of the presence of hepatitis C virus in the body, which needs to be taken seriously.

1. Introduction

Hepatitis C antibodies have no protective effect, and patients do not feel any discomfort in the early stages of hepatitis C virus infection. After an incubation period of about 2 months, only about a quarter of patients will experience symptoms such as poor appetite, fatigue, and jaundice, while most patients will not feel anything. Moreover, it takes about twenty years after infection for cirrhosis to develop. Therefore, many people do not even know that they have been infected with the hepatitis C virus.

After the virus has quietly "hidden" in the body for 5-12 weeks (about 8 weeks on average), hepatitis C virus-related antibodies can be detected in the patient's blood. However, this antibody does not have the function of neutralizing or eliminating invading viruses, that is, this antibody has no protective effect, which is different from hepatitis B. Therefore, a positive hepatitis C virus antibody test does not mean that the patient will not get hepatitis C again, it just means that the patient has been infected or is currently infected with hepatitis C.

2. Infectivity

The blood of patients with positive hepatitis C antibodies contains hepatitis C virus and is contagious. A prospective study was conducted on the incidence of hepatitis C in 383 cardiac surgery patients who received 5150 blood products between 1984 and 1986. The results showed that among the 9 patients who developed hepatitis C after blood transfusion, 6 (67%) were positive for hepatitis C antibodies, while among the 374 patients who did not develop hepatitis C, only 9 (2.4%) were positive for hepatitis C antibodies (P<0.001). Nine patients with post-transfusion hepatitis C received a total of 151 blood products, of which 6 (3.9%) were positive for hepatitis C antibodies. 374 patients without hepatitis C received a total of 4999 blood products, of which 31 (0.6%) were positive for hepatitis C antibodies (P<0.001).

How to treat

Compound vitamin B, vitamin C, inosine tablets, and liver protection treatment, but do not take too many drugs. Too many drugs: Chinese or Western medicine may cause liver damage. Because any drug must be metabolized by the liver. Will more or less aggravate liver damage. If liver function is normal, no special treatment is needed. Normal liver function is the goal.

1. You can be diagnosed with hepatitis C virus infection and further tests of liver function, HCV RNA, etc. are needed. If liver function is abnormal and the viral load is very high, you should receive standard treatment for hepatitis C, including liver protection and more importantly, antiviral treatment.

2. If you suffer from hepatitis C, in addition to active treatment, you should maintain an optimistic attitude in life, quit drinking, and avoid being too tired.