Table of Contents
How long before Hep C shows up on blood test?
If a person exposed to hepatitis C becomes infected, virus particles (called HCV RNA) can be detected within 1-2 weeks. Liver function tests also tend to rise during this timeframe. Hepatitis C antibodies appear after RNA is detectable and can take 3-12 weeks to appear.
Can you get hep C from a superficial cut?
Superficial exposure to blood, even if you had a little cut, is very unlikely to cause hepatitis C. There are only two case reports of a person getting hepatitis C from traumatic altercations, but these were very significant with a lot of injury and severe blood exposure.
How soon do hepatitis symptoms appear?
If symptoms occur, they begin an average of 90 days (or 3 months) after exposure to the virus, but they can appear any time between 8 weeks and 5 months after exposure. They usually last several weeks, but some people can feel sick for as long as 6 months.
Can you get hep C from a drop of blood?
In general you need to be aware that if you are infected with hepatitis C, a tiny drop of your blood could infect someone else if it gets into their body.
Can you get hep C by swallowing blood?
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. The point of entry for infected blood can be a fresh cut or broken or punctured skin. The hepatitis C virus cannot penetrate unbroken skin and is killed by the digestive juices in the stomach if it is swallowed.
Does Hep C go dormant?
Although she has been carrying the virus in her blood for 40 years, she is only now beginning to notice symptoms, including headache, fatigue, and joint pain. That delay between infection and onset is typical of hepatitis C, which can lie dormant in the body for decades.
Does Harvoni cure Hep C?
Harvoni treatment results in hepatitis C cures in roughly 95\% to 99\% of patients (95 to 99 out of every 100 patients). Your treatment regimen and length will vary according to your liver condition and whether or not you have received prior treatments.
What kind of Doctor do I See for hepatitis C?
Because of this fact, patients with hepatitis C are most commonly referred for treatment to a specialist in gastroenterology (also a subspecialty of internal medicine). Gastroenterologists specialize in diseases of all of the gastrointestinal organs including the liver.