This is the screening test for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus. Confirmed positives are referred for evaluation to their physician, who usually does a PCR for diagnosis. Negative or indeterminant RIBA s indicate a false positive screening test, which can be further confirmed by retesting. Chronic carriers of hepatitis C are at increased risk of cirrhosis, or scarring, of the liver. Those who develop cirrhosis are at increased risk of liver cancer.
Treatment is available, so it is important to have periodic checkups.
Back to Top The Future of Donor Blood Testing Studies are underway using molecular methods to test for the presence of the RNA or DNA of the above agents. The hope is that NAT will prove so superior to today s methods that it will replace them. So far, NAT is only being evaluated for HIV and HCV, but it can be expanded to cover all diseases transmitted by blood transfusion. Someday we may be able to drop the tests that cause so many false positive reactions and re-evaluate those who had false positives. It may be possible to reinstate those who are NAT negative as eligible blood donors.