- What are the hepatitis C tests?
- Should I be tested for hepatitis C?
- Do I really have hepatitis C?
- If I have hepatitis C, how can I tell what is happening with my hepatitis C?
When you have ongoing hepatitis C infection, you also look at the liver status. The liver status tells you how quickly the liver is being damaged and how much damage has taken place. In those lucky people where hepatitis C is gone, the tests of ongoing liver damage (ALT/AST) return to normal.
Anti-HCV positive: means that you have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus, and your body's immune system remembers Hepatitis C for life.
The ALT protein found in your bloodstream may look something like the aqua colored ribbon structure to the right.
If ALT levels are persistently normal, the infection may have gone away.
If ALT levels are not persistently normal, the hepatitis C virus is still in your body.
Once you have a positive anti-HCV positive test result, you need a PCR test to figure out what is really going on.