Hi Doctor Handsfield, I wanted to make a donation to your site, but I couldn't figure out how to do it, so I just bought another question as thank you for being so kind, and for what you do.  I guess I will ask something since I bought a question - there was one thing I was confused about in our last thread your wrote "If HBcAb is positive, it means someone is or has been infected with HBV, and once positive remains positive for life. With negative HBsAg, that person is not infective and usually no longer has active infection. That said, it would be very rare to have only HBcAb; previously and currently infected persons also are positive for HBsAb."   I was confused by the last sentence underlined - I understood that once you are infected your HBcAB is positive and will stay positive for life, so I am clear on that.  What I was confused by was: previously and currently infected persons also are positive for HBsAb.  Can you explain this to me because I thought from what I have read HBsAb only shows up when you recover and HBsAG  becomes negative or is there a period in recovery when both markers are positive before the HBsAG disappears, or did you mean to write HBcAB where both previously or acutely infected are positive.  Sorry for being nerdy I just love to learn and I was confused.  Honestly I really just wanted to donate to the site for your efforts, because I know how many people you help each day and I wanted to thank you for doing this.  Thanks again Doctor Handsfield.

Thank you for the offer of a donation to ASHA. Go to the home website (https://www.ashasexualhealth.org/) and look for the Donate option. ASHA is a fine organization, the premier private nonprofit in the US in support of sexual health, with particular emphasis on STI prevention. Dr. Hook and I are former members of ASHA's Board of Directors.---
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Thanks for the link Dr - I will donate tonight - the tables have helped and I would always just recommend someone talking to their Dr, not me, I just got curious on my own about it.  (1) So it looks like anti-hbs appears in acute resolved and when you get a vaccine, but not when someone becomes chronic & (2) anti-hbc appears in any infection whether they recover or it becomes chronic and it stays for life - are these correct statements about antibodies?  Thanks again for your help in teaching me this today, I love to learn new things you are a king Dr. - where my statements correct?

kind I mean not king - sorry for typo :)

You have been kind enough Dr, I understand these tables now and don’t need you to answer my questions I just asked bc the tables taught me - thanks for sending them and thank you for doing what you do - I’m sure I will never encounter this situation and even if I did I would just take your advice and refer them to a doctor - I’m just there to provide support and give women who are scared hope - it’s a great feeling to help others, and I’m sure you get that same feeling - so thank you very much - you can conclude this thread and take care.

Actually Dr I do have another question one of the things I saw in what you sent was normal alt for men is less than 30 and women 19. My husband I both are negative for hep b but his alt in his last test was 43 - is this anything for him to be concerned about?  

He is on statins I know this an std site, but just scared maybe his lab work for hep b could be wrong - sorry to be a pest - just worried about him now

His lab reference range was upper limit of 56 which said normal - but what you sent me said 30 - is his number of 43 worrisome?

The follow-up opportunities are for clarification of the initial question, not to raise new issues and I cannot advise you about your and your husband's liver function tests. We address HPV as an STD, i.e. risks and prevention, but hepatitis management is outside the forum's purview. And I really don't know about difference in liver enzyme results between men and women. But it seems to me that if your husband's ALT is below the high-level cut-off it is normal and not worrisome. But that's something for him to addresss with his health care provider. I had no comment at all about ALT levels in my previous replies in this or your previous thread; I think you misinterpreted something.---