Please help understanding my lab results

Hello everyone. I was diagnosed positive for hep b early this year and my dr wanted another blood test this month. Please help me understand. I tested reactive mar of 2024 and then sept. What does this mean? My dr said i show signs of immunity. Also my liver panel looked normal. Can somebody please help me. I am also experiencing neuropathy throughout my whole body - is this part of the symptoms of hep b? Thank you in advance. God bless.

HEPATITIS B VIRUS CORE

AB,SER,QL

Sep 20,2024

Reactive

Feb 27, 2024

Reactive

Break

HEPATITIS B VIRUS CORE IGM

Sep 20,2024

Reactive

Feb 27,2024

Reactive

Break

HEP B SURFACE AB

~ View trends

Normal value: >=12.00 mlU/mL

Value 891.07

Break

ALT

~ View trends

Normal value: <=63 U/L

Value 38

ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE

~ View trends

Normal value: <=125 U/L

Value 74

BILIRUBIN, TOTAL ~ View trends

Normal value: <=1.0 mg/dL

Value 0.7

Break

HEP B DNA, SER/PLAS, PCR
Collected on February 27, 2024 11:47 AM

Normal value: <=0

Value

Not Detected

HEP B VIR DNA, LOG, SER/PLAS, REAL TIME PCR

Normal value: <=0.00

Value

Not Detected

Hello everyone. I was diagnosed positive for hep b early this year and my dr wanted another blood test this month. Please help me understand. I tested reactive mar of 2024 and then sept. What does this mean? My dr said i show signs of immunity. Also my liver panel looked normal. Can somebody please help me. I am also experiencing neuropathy throughout my whole body - is this part of the symptoms of hep b? Thank you in advance. God bless.

HEPATITIS B VIRUS CORE

AB,SER,QL

Sep 20,2024

Reactive

Feb 27, 2024

Reactive

Break

HEPATITIS B VIRUS CORE IGM

Sep 20,2024

Reactive

Feb 27,2024

Reactive

Break

HEP B SURFACE AB

~ View trends

Normal value: >=12.00 mlU/mL

Value 891.07

Break

ALT

~ View trends

Normal value: <=63 U/L

Value 38

ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE

~ View trends

Normal value: <=125 U/L

Value 74

BILIRUBIN, TOTAL ~ View trends

Normal value: <=1.0 mg/dL

Value 0.7

Dear @mc3,

These lab results are consistent with being recently exposed to Hep B and successful clearing of the infection.

Given this, hep B is not likely to be the cause of your neuropathy and it may be worthwhile considering other causes.

Thomas

Thank you dr tu. But im not sexually active recently? Does that mean i will continue to test reactive indefinitely? Is this a sign of chronic hpb? When you say successful clearing does that mean the virus is still present but will remain dormant until my immune system cant suppress it? Sorry for all the questions, i am just concerned that i still tested reactive after 6 mos. Thank you for your time.

Hi @mc3, I’ll try my best to answer your questions.

  1. Hep B can be transmitted in many ways not involving sexual activity. These can include: tattooing, surgical procedures, sharing of implements that could cause breaks in the skin (e.g., nail clippers, needles, razors).
  2. Generally people who have been exposed to hep B indefinitely test reactive to anti-HBc. People who are protected against hep B test indefinitely to anti-HBs.
  3. Yes, some very small amount of cells may still contain HBV in your liver, but these are locked away by your immune system and the risk of liver disease progression from this virus is negligible.

In summary, the results you have received should not worry you: indeed, about 30% of the entire world’s population are in the same boat as you (exposed, but cleared the infection).

Hope this helps,
Thomas