Hepatitis C Viral Load Test - Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Viral Load (Quantitative PCR)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a highly sensitive molecular assay designed to detect and quantify hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in blood plasma. The result is expressed as the number of viral copies per milliliter (copies/mL) or in international units per milliliter (IU/mL). This assay is considered the gold standard for confirming active HCV infection and assessing response to antiviral therapy.