I recently got tested positive for Hep B. After that we did couple of followup tests. Here are the readings
HEP B SURFACE ANTIBODY - Indeterminate
HEP B SURFACE ANTIGEN - Positive
HEP B CORE AB,TOTAL IGG IG - Positive
HEP B CORE ANTIBODY,IGM - Negative
HEPATITIS B DNA LOG IU/ML 1.301
LOG10 HBV IU/ML 20
Please help me with the following
Do I have Chronic Hep B from the above results
Am I infectious to others currently
Are there other tests that can help to understand how long i have been having this
I have got appointment with a GI next week to do followup and discuss treatment options.
I have got appointment with a GI next week to do followup and discuss treatment options. Please help me understand this more.
Welcome to the forum and hope you find the support you need here.
These results are consistent with you having chronic Hep B (more than a few months). Your virus load is very low, so the risk of infection to others is also low, though theoretically possible. There aren’t really any other tests you can do to find out how long you’ve had the infection, it could even have been from birth.
Thanks for the response. I will be doing more tests next week after my GI appointment will share to get inputs from the group.
Is there any significance with Hep B Surface Antibody being Indeterminate. When the doctor called the lab said when they did the test 1 time it was positive and the next time it was negative, they repeated the tests multiple times and everytime the result was different.
Good afternoon, I really appreciate that this place exists.
I received some conflicting lab results and was genuinely surprised when I saw that I had tested positive for HBsAG.
At the moment I type this, I am very afraid. I don’t know what my results mean, and they seem to be inconclusive. My Dr. has ordered repeat tests in three weeks from now, but that’s a long time to sit and wonder, I’m hoping someone can shed some light, or have some experience with what my results mean.
The tests were ordered because I had elevated AST and ALT levels in December of 2020.
Dec 2020:
AST: 38 U/L
ALT: 98 U/L
Repeat labs in January 2021:
AST 42
ALT 115
As another precaution, my Dr. ordered additional testing a month later to include testing for HBV.
AST 37
ALT 104
HBsAG - Reactive “Critical High”
HBsAB - 335.97 “High”
HEPATITIS Bc Ab IgM - Non-Reactive
ALPHA FETO-PROTIEN - 1.02ng/mL
HCV AB - NONREACTIVE
A couple days later, I received a confirmatory report from a lab that utilized neutralization to rule out heterophilic antibodies as a false positive.
I’m just not sure what this could mean. My antibody count is high, do I somehow have a coexistence of HBsAG and HBsAB?
I have labs scheduled again in 3 weeks, but I haven’t been able to eat, sleep, or concentrate on anything else.
I’m very afraid…
Thank you for any positivity that can be shed.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your story. Your results indicate that you have a very low virus titre, which is linked with good health outcomes. It also means the likelihood of transmission is low.
This could mean that the anti-HBs is low, which means that your body is starting to fight off the infection. But ongoing monitoring will help the doctor understand what’s going on.
Thanks for sharing your story and sorry that you are having such a rough time at the moment with lab test anxiety. I think we have all experienced it here.
Regarding why you might have co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb and raised ALTs, it may be the start of an immune response against an infection event and your body is in the process of winning.
Of course, you should continue to monitor the situation with additional tests.
Thank you very much for the response.
The work you’re doing here is amazing.
Are there other viruses that would show HBsAG levels, or do you think I may have been exposed to HBV?
Is it a normal immune response to have HBsAG and HBsAB at the same time for a period of time, even in a vaccinated person?
What are the chances of a false positive HBsAG test?
Thank you so much for your guidance, and I apologize for all of the questions…
This is not a “textbook” result and doesn’t match any of the classically defined phases, so it’s hard to say exactly what’s happening. The transition between the phases (e.g. when you’re mounting an immune response) are less well defined and it’s common that you may have results like this. That’s why I’d suggest that’s what you’re going through.
To my knowledge, HBsAg is not likely to be a false positive, but definitely worth testing again to make sure. As far as I know, no other viruses will generate this false positive. To confirm that you have been exposed to HBV, it might be worth getting a total anti-HBc Ab test.
It is good that you had a HBV vaccine when younger. But if you didn’t get your antibody titres checked, you don’t know if you were really protected or not. There are many people who do not respond to the vaccine (I’ve seen figures of 5-15%).
Starting therapy is something that you would need to discuss with your doctor and not something anyone can advise you on over the internet. It depends on many things including: your fibroscan score, your age, your family history of liver cancer, other diseases you might have, etc.
This does help, thank you very much.
You’ve given me hope that even if I am a vaccine non-responder, I still have a chance of recovery… At least, I assume I understood correctly?
Hello, my name is David, I am 40 years old and I write from Spain. Last week I was diagnosed positive for Hepatitis B. I don’t know since when I’ve been positive, in a month I have an appointment with a specialist doctor for my first assessment. Right now I’m scared, I have my first results that I would like to share.
Hi David
It is just normal. You are scared like any one of us when we tested positive for hbsag. You will overcome the feelings and live a normal life like all of us in this forum.I have been positive as I know for the last 20yrs and going about my daily activities normally.
I wish you had imaging of your liver to have a conclusive understanding of your diagnosis. Otherwise for now, welcome to the community and try to be calm and I can assure you nothing will be asunder over night.
Kinoti.
Hola David,
Mi nombre es Luis y también soy español.
Si necesitas hablar con alguien y no sabes con quién no dudes en contactar conmigo, sé por lo que se pasa los primeros dias!
Un fuer abrazo
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your story. I hope you’ll find the support you need here. Your tests indicate that you have a chronic HBV infection, but a relatively low viral load in your blood, which is a good sign.
As Kinoti has mentioned, the fear will pass and many of us with Hep B live normal lives most of the time. And thank you Luis for extending your hand of support.
Some people have told me how positive it is to have a low viral load, it is certainly good news, now what scares me the most is having some serious liver damage, despite having normal ALT values I cannot shake the bad news of my thought.
