Hepatitis C Testing

What to Expect When Getting Tested

All adults, pregnant women, and

people with risk fac

tors should

get tested for hepatitis C.

Most people who get infected with hepatitis C

virus (HCV) develop a chronic, or lifelong,

infection. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis C

lifesaving treatment that can cure hepatitis C.

Getting tested for hepatitis C

A blood test, called an HCV antibody test, is used to nd

out if someone has ever been infected with the hepatitis C

virus. The HCV antibody test, sometimes called the

anti-HCV test, looks for antibodies to the hepatitis C

virus in blood. Antibodies are chemicals released into

the bloodstream when someone gets infected.

Test results can take anywhere from a few days to a few

weeks to come back. Rapid anti-HCV tests are available

However, if you think you might have been exposed to

hepatitis C in the last 6 months, you will need to be

tested again.

What does a reactive HCV antibody

test result mean?

A reactive or positive antibody test means you have been

infected with the hepatitis C virus at some point in time.

Once people have been infected, they will always have

antibodies in their blood. This is true if they have cleared the

virus, have been cured, or still have the virus in their blood.

This test is called a nucleic acid test (NAT) for HCV RNA.

Another name used for this test is a PCR test.

If the NAT for HCV RNA is:

• Negative - you were infected with hepatitis C virus,

but the virus is no longer in your body because you

were cured or cleared the virus naturally.

• Positive - you now have the virus in your blood.

If you have a reactive antibody test and a positive NAT

for HCV RNA, you will need to talk to a doctor about

treatment. Treatments are available that can cure most