Hepatitis Health Center

Sometimes, diagnosing hepatitis can be difficult, as symptoms can look like the flu and because some infected people do not show any obvious signs.

If you display symptoms of hepatitis, or suspect you may have contracted the virus, contact your doctor to schedule proper testing. Such testing may include an exam to check your symptoms and look into them thoroughly. It also might include a blood test to check for the virus itself or antibodies to it.

If your doctor is alerted to a presence of the hepatitis C virus through your blood sample, he or she may recommend a liver biopsy (removal of small piece of liver tissue) to test for liver disease. Unfortunately, liver disease may have progressed to a stage of severity or caused irreversible damage by the time it is detected. Therefore, it is important that people who are at high risk of infection be tested for hepatitis C so treatment can be started as early as possible to reduce the risk of damage. People are considered high-risk and should be tested for hepatitis C if they have the following traits:

  • Have had transfusions of blood or blood products before 1991
  • Are receiving dialysis
  • Have had sexual or intimate contact with anyone infected with hepatitis C
  • Are a healthcare worker exposed to infected people
  • Are currently or were previously an injection-drug user
  • Have abnormal liver tests
  • Are HIV positive
Review Date: 
September 4, 2012
Last Updated:
June 2, 2014
Source:
dailyrx.com