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There are specific tests your doctor can do to identify hepatitis C. Blood banks also screen donated blood for hepatitis C and notify you if you have tested positive. Tests for hepatitis C can show if you are infected with the virus or if you were infected in the past.
If you think you are at risk for hepatitis C and want to get tested, ask your doctor for a hepatitis C blood test. Remember, routine blood tests do not test for hepatitis C. The only way you can get tested is to ask specifically for the test.
There are two main types of blood tests that can be used to diagnose hepatitis C:
- Antibody tests - Antibody tests detect the presence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (e.g, the ELISA and RIBA) tests
- HCV RNA tests - These tests specifically detect the presence of the hepatitis C virus particles. HCV RNA can be detected using several methods. The most common method is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR.
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