A woman displayed signs of jaundice. She went to a renowned path lab to get tested for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). The report was positive for HCV, the findings shook her.
Sensing something amiss in the test report, she visited two other path labs. Both reported negative for HCV.
The first path lab was sued on the grounds that wrong report caused ‘mental harassment’!
The National Consumer Commission cited medical literature, and stated that:
False positive test results are possible. It is also known that:
- In as many as one in four people, HCV goes away without treatment. But even after this natural clearance, HCV antibodies will always be in your blood
- The test may mistake HCV antibodies to those for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions
- Babies born to mothers with HEP C probably have HCV antibodies. But most new-borns aren’t actually infected
- Therefore, if your antibody test is positive, you’ll need to have a different kind of test
The Commission also took note of the lab report, and swiftly dismissed patient’s complaint, observing that:
“The laboratory has a policy that any patient who is not satisfied or alarmed by the test report is free to speak to customer care manager or the concerned doctor to get doubts cleared. It is also printed on the test report that if the test result is alarming or unexpected, the patient is advised to contact the laboratory immediately for possible remedial advice”.
“Admittedly the patient was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and acute hepatitis. It is known that RA patients show cross reactivity and give false positive results during screening of HCV. The test was conducted without deviation in standard procedure. It should be borne in mind that the test reports are to be interpreted by referring doctor or consultant, not by the patient. In the instant case the patient interpreted test result, and failed to produce opinion from her referring doctor”.
Source : Order pronounced by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on 14th February, 2023.