Hepatitis c virus test

Hepatitis C virus tests are blood tests that check for substances in the blood that show whether you have hepatitis C now or had it in the past. The tests can also tell you what type of hepatitis C you have and how severe the disease is. This can help your doctor with treatment.

If the tests show that you have long-term hepatitis C, you need to take steps to prevent spreading the disease.

You may need these tests if:

• You have symptoms of hepatitis.
• You may have been exposed to the virus. You are more likely to have been exposed to the virus if you inject drugs or are exposed to body fluids (such as if you are a health care worker).
• You've had other tests that show you have liver problems.
• You are 18 to 79 years old.
• You have an HIV infection.

The tests also are done to help your doctor decide about your treatment and see how well it works.

A health professional uses a needle to take a blood sample, usually from the arm.

A home test kit is available for hepatitis C (HCV). The kit contains a sharp device (lancet) that you use to take a small sample of blood from your fingertip. The blood sample is then placed on a piece of collection paper and mailed in a prepaid envelope to a lab for testing. Results are ready in 10 days. You'll get an ID number to use when calling a toll-free number to obtain confidential results. If the results of the test are positive, it's important for you to make an appointment with your doctor to confirm the test results, find out the amount of damage to your liver, and see if antiviral therapy is an option.

Results of hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing that show no infection are called negative. This means that no antibodies against HCV and no HCV genetic material was found. Results are usually ready in 5 to 7 days.

Hepatitis antibodies can take weeks to develop. So your results may be negative even though you are in the early stage of an infection.