Select a condition Absence seizures Acne ADHD Age-related macular degeneration AIDS Alzheimer's disease AMD Amebic dysentery Anal tears Angina, stable Angina, unstable Ankle sprain Anorexia Anxiety Appendicitis Arthritis Asthma in adults Asthma in children Athlete's foot Atrial fibrillation Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Autism Back pain Bacterial vaginosis Bad breath Bedsores Bedwetting Bell's palsy Benign prostatic hyperplasia Bipolar disorder Bladder infection in women Blood pressure Breast cancer Breast pain Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bulimia Bunions Burning mouth syndrome Burns and scalds Canker sores Cardiac arrest Carpal tunnel syndrome Cataracts Cellulitis and erysipelas Chickenpox Childbirth, heavy bleeding Childbirth, tear or cut Chlamydia Chronic bronchitis Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic prostatitis Chronic tension type headache Cold sores Colic in babies Colon and rectal cancer Colon and rectal cancer screening Colonic diverticular disease Common cold Conjunctivitis Constipation in adults Constipation in children COPD Crib death Deep vein thrombosis Dementia Depression in adults Depression in children Diabetes, type 1 Diabetes, type 2 Diarrhea in adults Diarrhea in children Diverticular disease Ear infection, middle ear Ear infection, outer ear Ear infection with discharge Ear infection with fluid Ear pain during air travel Ear wax Eczema Emphysema Endometriosis Enlarged prostate Epilepsy Episiotomy Erection problems Essential tremor Febrile seizures Fertility problems Fibroids Flu Gallstones Genital herpes Genital warts GERD GERD in children Glaucoma Gonorrhea Gout Group B streptococcus H. pylori infection Halitosis Hay fever Headache, chronic tension type Head lice Heart and circulation problems in diabetes Heart attack Heartburn Heart failure Heavy periods Heel pain Hemorrhoids Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hernia Herpes, genital Herpes simplex eye infection High blood pressure High blood pressure in pregnancy High cholesterol HIV infection Hyperactivity IBS Incontinence in women Infection in newborn babies Infertility Influenza Insomnia in adults Irritable bowel syndrome Jaundice in newborn babies Jet lag Kidney infection Kidney stones Leg cramps Leg ulcers Lewy body dementia Lung cancer Lyme disease Macular degeneration Malaria prevention Manic depression Mastalgia Measles, mumps and rubella: prevention Melanoma Meniere's disease Meningococcal disease Menopause Migraine in adults Migraine in children MMR prevention Morning sickness Multiple sclerosis Nail infection, fungal Neck pain Nicotine addiction Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Nosebleeds in children Obesity Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD Oral thrush Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Ovarian cancer Painful periods Pancreas cancer Panic attacks Parkinson's disease PCOS Pelvic inflammatory disease Perineal care Peripheral arterial disease Peripheral vascular disease Pneumonia Polycystic ovary syndrome Postpartum depression Postpartum hemorrhage Post-traumatic stress disorder Preeclampsia Pregnancy, nausea Premature birth Pressure sores Prostate cancer Prostatitis, chronic Psoriasis PTSD Raynaud's disease Rectal cancer screening Recurrent cystitis Reflux in children Rheumatoid arthritis Scabies Schizophrenia Seasonal allergy Shoulder pain Sickle cell anemia Sickle cell disease SIDS Sinusitis Skin cancer (melanoma) Skin cancer (squamous cell) Sleep apnea Sleep problems in children Slipped disk Smoking Sore throat Stomach ulcers Stress headache Stress incontinence Stroke, emergency care Stroke prevention Sudden infant death syndrome Swimmer's ear Tennis elbow Tension headache Testicular cancer Thrush (oral) Tic douloureux Tinnitus Tonsillitis Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy Trigeminal neuralgia Underactive thyroid Urinary tract infections in children Varicocele Varicose veins Vascular dementia Warts Whiplash Wisdom teeth, impacted Wrinkles Yeast infection, vagina

Select treatment area Bladder & Kidneys Blood Brain & nervous system Cancer Children's health Diabetes Digestive system Ear, nose & throat Eating & weight Eyes Fertility Heart and circulation Hormones Infections Lungs & breathing Men's health Mental health Mouth Muscles & bones Pregnancy & childbirth Sexual health Skin Sleep Staying healthy Travel health Women's health

Most people with hepatitis C don't get any symptoms for many years after they've been infected. So, it often takes a long time before people are diagnosed with hepatitis C.

If you think you might have hepatitis C, it is important to tell your doctor so they can find out for sure. This is because if you do have hepatitis C you will need to:

• Think about having treatment
• Do things to stay as healthy as possible
• Take steps so that you don't pass the hepatitis C virus on to other people.

Here are some of the things your doctor may do to work out if you have hepatitis C.

Your doctor may ask some questions to find out if you are at high risk of having hepatitis C. It's important to be honest. So, tell your doctor even if these things happened a long time ago.

These are questions your doctor will probably ask you.¹

• Have you ever injected illegal drugs?
• Do you have sex with someone who has hepatitis C, especially if you share toothbrushes or razors, or regularly have sex without using condoms?
• Have you ever gotten blood transfusions or been given products made from blood?
• Have you ever gotten medical treatment in a country with lower hygiene standards than the United States?
• Have you ever had a tattoo or gotten any part of your body pierced?

Your doctor will also ask you to describe any symptoms that you have noticed.

Your doctor may examine your abdomen. They will check to see if it's bloated and if your liver is bigger than normal. And your doctor will look at your skin and the white parts of your eyes to see if they have turned yellow. They may also check your ankles to see if they're swollen.

The only way to find out if you have hepatitis C is to have a blood test. You may wonder if testing is right for you. For more information, see Should I be tested for hepatitis C?

There are several blood tests to check for the hepatitis C virus. Some of the tests are more reliable than others.^{1 2} For more information, see Blood tests for hepatitis C.

If you have a blood test that checks for the hepatitis C virus and the result is positive, that means you have the virus in your blood. But it doesn't tell you if the virus has affected your liver. And it doesn't tell you how long you have had the virus for.

Your doctor will order other blood tests to see if your liver has been affected. These are sometimes called liver enzyme tests. You may hear them called an alanine aminotransferase test (ALT test for short) and an aspartate aminotransferase test (AST test for short).

Your doctor may also suggest that you have a small piece of your liver taken out and checked under a microscope. This is called a liver biopsy. It will show if the virus has damaged your liver. The results may help you decide whether to have treatment right away, or whether to wait and see what happens to your liver.

A liver biopsy can hurt. Also, there is a chance it might make you bleed a lot. So, ask your doctor if you really need this test.^{1 2} For more information, see Having a liver biopsy.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.