How to Get Tested for Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C slowly, and often silently, attacks the liver. With no vaccine for this type of hepatitis and very mild symptoms, most people do not realize they have the disease until they already have significant liver damage. If you feel you have been exposed to Hepatitis C, you should contact your doctor to be tested. Read on to assess your risk and proceed through testing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Blood test
• Doctor

Decide When to Get Tested for Hepatitis C

1. Get tested immediately if you're notified by your doctor, a blood bank or other health agency that you may have been exposed to the virus. This usually occurs if you received a blood transfusion from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C.

2. Consider having a hepatitis C test if you've ever used intravenous or intranasal drugs. Even if you only experimented years ago, you should still be tested for the virus.

3. Have a hepatitis C test if you received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992.

4. See your doctor for a test if you think you have been exposed to the virus, have had close contact with someone with hepatitis C or are exhibiting any symptoms of hepatitis, including yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Get a Hepatitis C Test

5. Let your doctor know if you feel you have been exposed to hepatitis. He will most likely test you for the three main types of the virus.

6. Have a simple blood test that measures for HCV (hepatitis C) antibodies. Your doctor will order this if you are exhibiting any major symptoms of hepatitis C, including chronic fatigue and liver problems. You may also request the test if do not have symptoms but feel you are at risk.

7. Expect your doctor to test your viral load (amount of virus in your blood). If you test positive, she will also evaluate the genetic makeup of the virus. There are six known types of hepatitis C, and knowing which genotype you have will help your doctor decide on a course of treatment.

8. Prepare for a liver biopsy. While a biopsy is not needed to confirm a hepatitis C diagnosis, the test will show the severity of the disease, help guide treatment and rule out other causes of your liver problems. The biopsy is a quick procedure that requires local anesthesia.

9. Follow your doctor's guidelines for treatment. Not all people diagnosed with hepatitis C require treatment. However, you should complete the entire course of medication prescribed, in order to avoid developing chronic hepatitis.

Tips & Warnings

• Hepatitis C is not usually transmitted through sexual contact, but rather through direct contact with infected blood. Blood transfusions and sharing needles are the two most common methods of transmission.

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