NCLEX-RN Hepatitis Serology Decoded Cheat Sheet (Free Printable)

If you are prepping for the NCLEX-RN, hepatitis serology comes down to one question: is the patient infectious or immune? This cheat sheet, Hepatitis Serology Decoded, answers it, and the answer changes what you do, from immune globulin for hepatitis A close contacts to screening all adults at least once and every pregnancy for hepatitis C.

It has three color-coded lanes. Green covers hepatitis A: fecal-oral transmission, acute only, never chronic, with IgM anti-HAV marking acute infection and IgG anti-HAV marking immunity from vaccine or past infection. Red covers hepatitis B, where you read the surface, core, and e antigen panel: HBsAg positive means active infection, anti-HBs positive means immunity, anti-HBc IgM positive means acute infection in the first 6 months after exposure, HBeAg positive means high infectivity. Amber covers hepatitis C: antibody shows exposure only, RNA shows active disease, there is no vaccine, and DAAs over 8 to 12 weeks cure more than 95 percent.

Use it by matching every positive result to its meaning, and keep the disclaimer in mind: serology patterns and cutoffs vary by laboratory, so follow your facility protocol and current CDC guidance.

188 words. Every clinical claim traces to a JSON field: title and subtitle (accent, subtitle), lane count and colors (columns tab/color), marker meanings and timing (rows fx), the youngest-age chronicity framing (column B note), and the lab-cutoff caveat (disclaimer).

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Serology patterns and cutoffs vary by laboratory - follow your facility protocol and current CDC guidance.

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