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[Clinical value of the detection of hepatitis C virus core antigen]

Ye-cheng Lu1, Zhen-you Jiang, Yan-ling Kuang

  • 1Clinical Laboratory, the 8th People's Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510060, China.

Xi Bao Yu Fen Zi Mian Yi Xue Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology
|July 10, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Detecting hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen offers significant clinical value as a supplemental test for HCV infection diagnosis, especially when anti-HCV tests are inconclusive.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Diagnostic Medicine

Context:

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a significant global health concern.
  • Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective patient management and treatment.
  • Current diagnostic methods, such as anti-HCV antibody testing, may have limitations in certain clinical scenarios.

Purpose:

  • To evaluate the clinical utility of detecting hepatitis C virus core antigen (HCVcAg) as a diagnostic marker for HCV infection.
  • To compare the detection rates of HCV core antigen with HCV-RNA and anti-HCV antibodies.
  • To assess the role of HCVcAg testing as a supplemental tool alongside conventional serological markers.

Summary:

  • The study analyzed 191 patients, with positive rates of 71.2% for HCV-RNA, 97.4% for anti-HCV, and 33.0% for HCV core antigen.
  • Notably, HCV core antigen was detected in patients negative for both HCV-RNA and anti-HCV post-therapy, and in one patient with a negative anti-HCV result.
  • These findings highlight the potential of HCV core antigen detection in specific diagnostic situations.

Impact:

  • HCV core antigen detection can serve as a valuable supplemental diagnostic marker for HCV infection.
  • It may improve diagnostic accuracy in cases where standard anti-HCV testing is negative or equivocal.
  • Integrating HCV core antigen testing could enhance the early detection and management of hepatitis C.
Abstract

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