Your doctor may have referred you to a gastroenterologist (who specializes in diseases of the digestive system) or a hepatologist (who specializes in liver diseases) to test you for hepatitis C. A specialist will likely have more experience in treating patients with hepatitis and be aware of the latest developments in treatment.

This is also a good time to get to know your doctor and to make sure you are getting the kind of care you need and that all your questions have been answered. Here are a few topics you should discuss with your doctor.

• Ask your doctor about the level of virus in your blood, what this level means for your treatment, and the chance of infecting others.
• Discuss all your other test results (and what they mean) with your doctor.
• Genotype can influence your response to treatment. Ask your doctor for the results of your genotype test.
• Ask about precautions that you should take to avoid infecting other people.
• Ask your doctor how much experience he or she has in treating hepatitis patients, and whether he or she recommends that you see a hepatologist - a specialist in liver disease - or gastroenterologist, a medical specialist in digestive disease, for your care.
• Discuss what steps you can take to protect your liver and help you feel better.
• Ask your doctor what treatment he or she recommends, and about any treatments you have heard about.

When you're speaking to your doctor, remember that your alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level does not reflect the severity of hepatitis C or your viral load. Many people with chronic hepatitis C have normal ALT levels. You may need further testing to see how severe the inflammation is, even when ALT levels are not very high.

When discussing treatment approaches for hepatitis C, keep in mind that there are treatments available that many patients respond to, but that not all patients benefit from treatment. However, if you do nothing, you may be losing your chance to fend off the virus.