Hepatitis C: Symptoms, who should get tested for it!

Dr Suresh Singhvi

Chronic Hepatitis C is a serious disease that can result in long-term health problems. Approximately 60,000 people die every year from Hepatitis C related liver disease.

Symptoms:

Most people with chronic Hepatitis C do not have any symptoms. However, if a person has been infected for many years, his or her liver may be damaged. In many cases, there are no symptoms of the disease until liver problems have developed. In persons without symptoms, Hepatitis C is often detected during routine blood tests to measure liver function and liver enzyme (protein produced by the liver) level.

Who should get tested for it?

Talk to your doctor about being tested for Hepatitis C if any of the following are true:

- You are a current or former injection drug user, even if you injected only one time or many years ago.

- You were treated for a blood clotting problem before 1987.

- You received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992.

- You are on long-term hemodialysis treatment.

- You have abnormal liver tests or liver disease.

- You work in health care or public safety and were exposed to blood through a needle stick or other sharp object injury.

- You are infected with HIV.