Hepatitis C is a viral disease that will become a chronic disease if it is not diagnosed in time and the treatment process is not started. Having this disease will cause inflammation and possible damage to the liver. In many people, this disease has no symptoms, and therefore, testing for hepatitis C is very important for timely diagnosis of the disease. The HCV antibody test shows whether you have been infected with the virus. This test is recommended for people who have certain symptoms or are planning to get pregnant. In addition, exposure to certain conditions can increase the risk of this disease. In this situation, doing the hepatitis C test can help a lot in the early diagnosis of the disease. Who should use the hepatitis C test? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all adults 18 to 79 years of age be screened for hepatitis C. Since the disease does not have any specific symptoms, a person may face severe liver damage all at once. In the following, you can get acquainted with the list of people who should use the hepatitis C test. - People who use injectable and inhaled drugs. - Those whose liver function test is abnormal. - Babies born to mothers with hepatitis C - Health care and emergency workers who are exposed to contaminated blood and needles. - People who were in prison. - People with HIV - Those whose sexual partner is infected with hepatitis C. - Those who have unprotected sex with multiple sexual partners. - People with hemophilia. - People who have undergone long-term hemodialysis treatments. - Those who have had a blood transfusion or an organ transplant about 30 years ago. - Those whose primary blood test is suspected of hepatitis C. - Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. What is the hepatitis C test for? Hepatitis C appears in most people without symptoms, but during this period, the disease is transmitted to other people, and on the other hand, it causes severe inflammation and serious damage to the liver. A hepatitis C test can help you identify and suppress the disease faster. On the other hand, this test prevents the transmission of the disease to other family members and prevents cirrhosis and liver failure in the patient. The purpose of the hepatitis C test is to determine whether a person has hepatitis C or not. If the person is infected with the virus, this virus is found in the blood and other body fluids. Hepatitis C usually occurs in both acute and chronic forms in the body. Acute hepatitis C develops in the first six months after exposure to the virus and usually has mild symptoms and the body fights it and the virus is cleared from the body. But in chronic hepatitis, the body is not able to fight the virus and about 75-75% of people get this type of disease. Timely diagnosis of chronic hepatitis is very important to treat and prevent severe damage, which can prevent liver failure and liver cancer. How is the hepatitis C test? Hepatitis C test is usually done as a blood test. In this test, hepatitis C antibodies and then RNA virus in the blood are examined. In the following, you can learn more about the method of conducting hepatitis C test and interpreting its results. ### Anti-HCV Antibody Test This is the first blood test and sometimes the only test you should do to diagnose hepatitis C. When the hepatitis C virus enters the blood, the body makes proteins to fight the virus. These proteins appear about 12 weeks after infection. The test result will be known a few days or a week later. > Kausar Pathobiology Specialized Laboratory, proud to obtain ISO 15189, ISO 10002 and ISO 9001 of the European Union, under the supervision of Dr. Ali Ayatollahi, an anatomical and clinical pathology specialist, covers more than a thousand cases of various tests in the fields of pathology, genetics and clinical. (Contract party of basic insurances and most supplementary insurances) Also, genetic counseling is provided free of charge in this center by experts.* > > *Address: Mashhad - Vakilabad - Kausar Blvd. - between 2 and 4 Kausar - Farabi Doctors Building - negative one floor. Contact numbers: 051-38840404 and 051-38820202 and 09028840404* > > **Kowsar specialized laboratory, having the equipment and experienced personnel, is able to perform sampling services at home in Mashhad.**