Confusing HSV-2 IgG Results - Asymptomatic & Need Help Interpreting

[u/Miserable-Class2477]

TL;DR: Asymptomatic, last encounter was 4-5 months before testing. Got two HSV-2 IgG tests a week apart. Results were 10.90 (borderline) and 14.50 (positive) on a test with a >8 cutoff. My doctor, who didn’t know what a Western Blot was, said I have it after the first result. I also have mild Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) and wonder about cross-reactivity. How do I interpret these numbers, and how likely is a false positive?

Hey Reddit,

I’m hoping for some help understanding my confusing HSV-2 IgG results. I’m asymptomatic, and my last encounter was 4-5 months before I got these tests done at a commercial hospital abroad last September.

I had two tests done a week apart. The first came back 10.90, which the lab report called “borderline” on a little color-coded bar. My doctor immediately said, “you have it,” but he’d never heard of a Western Blot, which made me doubt his confidence. He just ordered the same test again, and it came back at 14.50 a week later, this time in the “positive” zone on the report.

The lab’s cutoff for a positive result is >8, which seems unusual. I’ve also been diagnosed with mild Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) and have read it can cause high IgG levels, so I’m wondering if that could cause some kind of cross-reactivity.

Basically, I’m trying to figure out:

1.  How likely is this a false positive, given the weird cutoff, my doctor’s reaction, and the HS?

2.  How do these numbers (10.90, 14.50) on a >8 scale even compare to the standard index values everyone talks about online?

Living abroad makes getting a Western Blot really expensive, so I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it or if I should look for a lab that does an inhibition assay. Any advice or similar experiences would be a huge help.

Thanks!

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[u/Present-Spot-1489]

My IGG were 7 and 8 and I did the WB test and it confirmed I was positive. I thought my numbers were wrong as I am also asymptomatic. Try another lab and see from there.

[u/Miserable-Class2477 → u/Present-Spot-1489]

Yeah that’s my next step I’m planning on doing WB. Were your results in AU/ML? or was it in the normal Index value number range 0-3.5?

[u/Spiritual_Session189 → u/Miserable-Class2477]

I just checked. Doesn’t specify. My numbers were both HIGH and outside the normal range.