Blood Donor?

Question

I recently recieved a letter for the blood bank that I donate for. They informed me they are not able to use my donations due to abnormal result of Anti- HBc. what does this mean? should i have concerns. thanks

Answer 1

You could have hepatitis B.... I would go to the doctor pronto. Good job on donating blood, though, not enough people do it.

Answer 2

Anti-HBc is an antibody to the core antigen of the hepatitis B virus.  It is only seen in people who have been exposed to the virus.  Without further testing or information, there's no way to tell whether this is a current or a previous infection that you have since cleared--that depends on whether the antibodies are IgM or IgG (you first produce IgM and later on, as you clear the infection, you will produce IgG, which will remain detectable indefinitely).

In either case, you should definitely see your doctor immediately and bring him or her the letter from the blood bank.  They will want to retest you to confirm the results and if they are correct, to make sure you have cleared or are clearing the infection.  Most healthy adults (about 95%) make a full recovery spontaneously and are thereafter immune to the virus, but they will want to make sure everything is all right in case you do need treatment.

Unfortunately, if these results are confirmed, you are permanently deferred from donating blood.  But get it checked out, please.