Hello everyone, I’ve been having a mystery illness for the past 3 months. My doctor ran a virus panel and CMP and this was one thing that showed up. Can anyone tell me what it means? I’m almost positive I’ve never been vaccinated. Does it mean I was positive in the past?
Thank you for your time.
Hi @Porg,
Welcome to the community. Your results shows you do not have HBV, but you do have a high antibody protection against it which is great. Sure, if you are 100% certain that you never got vaccinated then the other possible way you developed antibodies might come from a past resolved infection. One can develop antibodies either by vaccination or from a past resolved case of being infected. I hope this helps. Thanks, Bansah1
Okay, thank you. I thought the core antibodies had to also be present for there to have been a past infection, so I was confused about what was showing up.
Hi @Porg,
Yes, but a positive test will indicate either an acute or chronic infection, but not necessarily those in the past. It should not matter either way, the most important fact is that you have a high antibody against HBV. It looks like you were vaccinated but might not be aware. Negative test for HBsAg, positive test for HBsAb and Hepatitis B Core Antibody IgM negative indicates that you were vaccinated. If core antibody was positive, HBsAb was positive and HBsAg negative then that will indicate protection from a resolved infection. The table below can provide some help here. Thanks, Bansah1
Hi @porg,
I agree with @Bansah1 that you are already protected from Hep B due to your high antibody levels. Your original tests mention you are negative for anti-HBc IgM, which is only positive for the first few weeks of an infection. To test if you have ever been exposed to HBV, you would need to get a total anti-HBc antibody test.
Cheers,
Thomas
