Introduction

This information will help you understand your choices, whether you share in the decision-making process or rely on your doctor's recommendation.

Key points in making your decision

The decision to be tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C is not always simple. The tests are easy, but the test results could affect your life in ways you did not expect. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of testing. Consider the following when making your decision:

• Hepatitis often causes no symptoms, so many people don't know they have it until they get tested.
• If you get tested and are found to have hepatitis, you could face a hard decision about treatment. Treatment for hepatitis C may have serious side effects for the 6 to 12 months or longer that it takes. And it doesn't always work. It also costs a lot if you don't have insurance or if your insurance does not cover all of the costs.
• People with hepatitis B or C may not need treatment if the disease hasn't caused any liver problems. But either type of hepatitis can cause serious liver problems, such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. And for some people, treatment may help prevent liver problems.
• Some people get hepatitis B or C even though they never used illegal drugs or never had more than one sex partner.
• If you have had shots to keep from getting hepatitis B, you could still get hepatitis C.
• If you know you have hepatitis, you can take steps to keep from spreading it to others.
• Having to tell friends and family that you have hepatitis could affect your relationships.
• If you test positive, you could have trouble getting health insurance.

Medical Information

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis causes an inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis B and C are spread through infected blood and body fluids. This happens most often during sexual contact (hepatitis B) and when people share needles to inject drugs (hepatitis B and C). It can also happen when an infected person shares items such as razors or toothbrushes.

Sometimes a baby is infected at birth because the mother has hepatitis.

Other causes that are less common include:

• Getting a tattoo or body piercing with a needle that was not sterile.
• Getting an accidental needle stick from a dirty needle.
• Having received a blood transfusion before 1992 (hepatitis C).

But many people get hepatitis without knowing where the virus came from. And many people have hepatitis for years without knowing it, because they have no symptoms.

Either type of hepatitis can cause serious liver problems, such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. But some people never have serious problems.

Most adults who get hepatitis B have it for a short time and then get better on their own.

Most people who get hepatitis C eventually have a long-term infection that may never go away, even with treatment.

What is the test for hepatitis?

A small amount of blood is drawn from your arm. The blood is sent to a lab for testing. The test looks for hepatitis antibodies. Having these antibodies means that you have been exposed to hepatitis, but it does not mean that you now have an active hepatitis infection.

If the first test shows that you have been exposed to hepatitis, your blood may then be tested again to look for the genetic material of the virus and identify its type. The second test shows whether you actually have a hepatitis infection. For the second test, the lab may use some of the blood that was already drawn, or you may need to have more blood drawn.

What are the benefits of getting tested for hepatitis B and C?

• Getting tested can lead to early treatment, which may help prevent a long-term infection.
• If you test positive, you may be able to help others by making sure people who may have given you the disease get tested. People you may have infected also could be tested.
• If your test for hepatitis B is negative, you can get a vaccine to keep you from ever getting that disease. A vaccine is a shot that protects your body from a specific disease. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

What are the risks of getting tested for hepatitis B?

An acute or new hepatitis B infection in adults usually does not need to be treated and goes away on its own. But in some people it leads to long-term disease and serious liver problems. If you find out you have long-term (chronic) hepatitis B, you may face a decision about whether to go through treatment. Some of the medicines used to treat hepatitis B have few or no side effects. But others can cause serious side effects, such as constant tiredness, headaches, fever, nausea, thyroid problems, or depression.

What are the risks of getting tested for hepatitis C?

If you find out you have hepatitis C, you may face a tough decision about treatment. The medicines can cause serious side effects, such as constant tiredness, headaches, fever, nausea, depression, thyroid problems, and many more. Some people who start treatment stop, because the medicine makes them too ill to finish. And the treatment does not always work.

If you need more information, see the topics Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Your Information

Your choices are:

• Have a blood test that will tell you whether you have hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C.
• Do not have the blood test.

The decision whether to be tested for hepatitis takes into account your personal feelings and the medical facts.

These personal stories may help you make your decision.

Wise Health Decision

Use this worksheet to help you make your decision. After completing it, you should have a better idea of how you feel about being tested for hepatitis. Discuss the worksheet with your doctor.

Circle the answer that best applies to you.

*NA=Not applicable

Use the following space to list any other important concerns you have about this decision.

What is your overall impression?

Your answers in the above worksheet are meant to give you a general idea of where you stand on this decision. You may have one overriding reason to be tested or not be tested for hepatitis.

Check the box below that represents your overall impression about your decision.

Return to the topic:

• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C

Other Places To Get Help

Organizations

Related Information

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C