Hepatitis C Test: An Overview
Your healthcare provider can use a few different tests to see if you have
hepatitis C, how much of the
hepatitis C virus (HCV) is present in your body, and if any liver damage has already been done.
These hepatitis C tests may include:
- Liver enzyme test
- Viral RNA test
- Liver biopsy.
Hepatitis C Test: Liver Enzyme Test
One hepatitis C test is called a liver enzyme test.
This blood test looks at a number of substances in your blood that have to do with the liver and will help your healthcare provider find out if your liver is working normally -- or if it is being injured.
If the test shows that your liver enzymes are higher than normal, it means that the liver is being damaged. But this test cannot show if hepatitis C is causing the liver damage. Sometimes, the liver enzyme test results are normal, but you still have an infection that is causing liver damage. The next step in either of these cases is to find out if the hepatitis C virus is causing the damage. This can be done with a second type of hepatitis C test called the viral RNA test.
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