NAT test helps diagnose hepatitis B – C early, accurately

The Nucleic acid test is one of the advanced laboratory techniques that are being widely used in medicine today. The term is used to talk about tests to detect specific species and subspecies of organisms on a molecular level such as nucleic acid segments, complete genes or even microal microale.

This technique was born at the end of the twentieth century based on the principle of amplified reaction multiplied by many genetic materials derived from pathogenic viruses and increased detection when the amount of this virus was too little in the blood. NAT testing is a leap from the success of gene identification and accountation techniques.

This technique is intended to help identify the causes of the disease more quickly and accurately to serve the treatment process more effectively. The application of NAT has contributed to effectively preventing the risk of transmission of viruses caused by blood donors infected with pathogens at the window stage.

In the majority of Labo tests today, the detection of blood-transmitted viruses is carried out by indirect serological tests, through the presence of viruses or antibodies of the body that react to the virus.

However, in newly infected patients, the amount of virus is too small, the body has not created antibodies to fight the virus, serological testing techniques have not been detected. This period is called the window phase. Therefore the risk of the recipient of blood infected with one of the blood transfusion diseases is still there.

Therefore, health workers always consider the "window stage" as an obsession. How to shorten the "window stage", how to detect the earliest diseases transmitted by blood transfusion is always a big question, a permanent concern every day.

On December 19, 2014, for the first time at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion and also in Vietnam, molecular biology (Nucleic acid test – NAT) was put into use to screen for dangerous diseases transmitted by blood transfusion including hepatitis B, C and HIV. The NAT technique is a breakthrough, opening a new era of screening tests to ensure blood transfusion safety.

Currently this method is commonly applied in the diagnosis of diseases such as HIV, HBV, HCV … Why does a NAT test detect hepatitis B early? This technique allows to shorten the window time from 90 days to 30 to 40 days for hepatitis C, from 60 days to 20 to 30 days for hepatitis B.

In particular, NAT can detect HIV only 11 days after infection, while with a photoetholyngation test it takes up to 20 days. Therefore, NAT helps detect positive blood samples with the above 3 viruses in the earlier window phase, more accurate than the old methods.

In addition, THE NAT technique can also detect cases of hidden viral infections, i.e. those who have been infected for a long time, but the virus exists only potentially in infected human cells and bodies that do not produce antibodies, so cannot be detected by indirect tests.

Molecular biology testing is a high testing technique, requiring the implementer to have high professional expertise, experience, and at the same time the cost of implementation is also quite expensive. Therefore, molecular biological testing is in place only when traditional testing techniques do not respond or cannot make an accurate diagnosis for the treatment side.

In developed countries, most hospitals and hematology centers have used NAT techniques in blood screening, but in Vietnam only some hospitals use NAT techniques in blood screening such as: National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, 108Th Fleet Health Hub, Share99 International Health Hub …

Share99 International Health Hub is one of the hospitals not only has a team of leading doctors, modern technology equipment system but also stands out for comprehensive and professional medical examination, consultation and treatment services; civilized, polite and safe medical examination and treatment space. Customers who choose to perform tests here can be assured of the accuracy of the test results.

To register for NAT testing at Share99 International Health Hub, you can contact Share99 Health System Hotline nationwide, or register for an online examination HERE.