Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Aim: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Kit with ELISA for detecting hepatitis-C virus infection. Material and method: The present study is a prospective observational, cross-sectional study done in department of Microbiology. During the study period a total of 1990 sample were received for routine anti HCV antibody test. All sample of any age groups for anti HCV antibody testing were included in this study. Patients with hemolysed and lipemic sample were exclude from the study. Result: A total of 1990 blood samples were examined, with 50 samples showing reactivity on the quick card test and 1940 samples showing non-reactivity. Upon doing further ELISA testing, it was found that 2 samples had false positive results, while 7 samples were falsely identified as negative when compared to the gold standard test. The fast test demonstrated a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 99%. A positive predictive value (PPV) of 97% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99%. The p-value of 0.001 indicates statistical significance, supporting the use of ELISA. Conclusion: A positive outcome from a rapid card test for anti HCV antibodies does not necessarily indicate that treatment should be immediately initiated. Similarly, a negative result from the rapid test does not rule out the possibility of infection. Prior to initiating treatment, it is important to consider the patient's medical history and conduct additional laboratory tests.