Diagnosis
Health care providers can diagnose hepatitis C with a blood test.
Those diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C may be advised to undergo a liver biopsy to diagnose chronic liver disease. Unfortunately, by the time a provider diagnoses serious liver disease, liver damage can be considerable and even irreversible. This damage often results in cirrhosis (end-stage liver disease) or liver cancer.
The symptoms of liver damage may not appear for several years. Therefore, it is important for people at high risk of infection to be tested for hepatitis C, so they can start treatment as early as possible. High-risk groups include the following:
- People who had transfusions of blood or blood products before routine blood screening began
- People receiving dialysis
- People who may have had intimate contact with anyone infected with hepatitis C
- Health care workers exposed to infected persons
- Current or former injection-drug users
- People with abnormal liver tests
- People who are HIV positive