Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Hepatitis C

This week I will be blogging about how Hepatitis C is diagnosed. I will include information from a variety of sources addressing the diagnosis of the disease and the disease process.

Diagnosing Hepatitis C can be difficult because an acute infection is often asymptomatic. In order to diagnose Hepatitis C, the lab will draw samples of blood in order to test for certain blood components specific to an HCV infection.

How is an infection of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) detected?

• Antibodies specific to the HCV may be present in the blood of an infected person
• Other markers indicating the presence of HCV include specific enzymes and proteins that can also be observed in a blood test

What happens after a test for HCV returns positive?

• After one of the markers of HCV mentioned above is detected, a more specific test is performed to detect  the presence of RNA specific to the HCV. This will confirm that a person is infected with the virus. 

Here is an example of a tool for providers to follow when diagnosing Hepatitis C:

If you think you have been exposed to the Hepatitis C Provider it is important to talk with a health care provider so they can perform an assessment and if necessary, perform blood tests to determine a diagnosis. If you would like additional information about the different forms of Hepatitis as well as some signs and symptoms of the disease, visit this website: http://www.nakedtruth.idaho.gov/hepatitisb.aspx.

The following website has resources for patients with Hepatitis C: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/PatientEduC.htm

Reference List:

http://www.nakedtruth.idaho.gov/hepatitisb.aspx
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/PatientEduC.htm
http://depts.washington.edu/hepstudy/hepC/clindx/virus/discussion.html
http://www.jgld.ro/2006/3/7.pdf