Hepatitis Panel

What is a hepatitis panel?

A hepatitis panel is a group of blood tests that checks to see if you have a viral hepatitis infection now or had one in the past. Hepatitis is a type of liver disease that causes liver inflammation (swelling) and damage. Most cases of hepatitis are caused by one of three viruses called hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. A hepatitis panel checks for signs of all three viruses using one blood sample.

Hepatitis viruses spread in different ways. They affect your health in different ways, too:

• Hepatitis A is usually spread by eating or drinking food or beverages that an infected person has handled without washing their hands. This can result in swallowing tiny amounts of the virus that's found in an infected person's stool (poop). You can also get hepatitis A from close physical contact with an infected person, for example, while having sex or caring for a person who is sick with the virus.
  
  Most people recover from hepatitis A on their own without any lasting liver damage. No medicine cures the infection. The best way to prevent hepatitis A is to get vaccinated.
  
  
• Hepatitis B is mainly spread when blood, semen, or other body fluids from an infected person enter the body of someone who isn't infected. For example, you can get a hepatitis B infection if you have sex with an infected person or share needles or other items for injecting drugs. If you are pregnant and have hepatitis B, you can pass it to your baby during pregnancy or birth.
  
  Most adults recover from hepatitis B on their own with no lasting liver damage. But some people develop a chronic (long-term) infection that doesn't go away. This can lead to chronic liver disease and liver cancer. Infected babies and children up to age 5 have a high risk of developing a chronic infection.
  
  No medicine cures hepatitis B. Treatment may help delay or reduce the risk of developing liver cancer. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is to get vaccinated.
  
  
• Hepatitis C is spread when blood from an infected person enters the body of someone who is not infected. Most people get infected with hepatitis C from sharing needles or other items used for injecting drugs. Hepatitis C can also spread through sexual contact with an infected person, and a pregnant person who has the virus can pass it to their baby, but this is less common.
  
  Most people who get hepatitis C will develop a chronic infection, but medicine can cure hepatitis C. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C may cause serious liver problems, including cirrhosis or liver cancer. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
  

Symptoms of hepatitis infections can range from mild to severe. Many people don't even know they are infected. Getting tested is the only way to know for sure if you have hepatitis.

Other names: acute hepatitis panel, viral hepatitis panel, hepatitis screening panel

What is it used for?

A hepatitis panel is used to find out if you have an active hepatitis A or B infection now or if you had one in the past. It is also used to find out if you've ever been infected with hepatitis C. But the test can't tell the difference between an active hepatitis C infection that you have now and a past infection that has cleared up.

If a hepatitis panel shows that you may have hepatitis, you'll usually need other tests to confirm the diagnosis and to find out whether your infection is acute (sudden) or chronic (long-term).

Why do I need a hepatitis panel?

You may need a hepatitis panel if you have symptoms of hepatitis. Hepatitis doesn't always cause symptoms, but when it does, they may include:

• Jaundice, a condition that causes your skin and eyes to turn yellow
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Dark-colored urine
• Pale or clay-colored stool (poop)
• Abdominal (belly) pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Joint pain
• Diarrhea (hepatitis A only)

Your health care provider may also order a hepatitis panel if you had liver function tests with abnormal results. If you were exposed or think you may have been exposed to a specific hepatitis virus, your provider will likely order a different test that checks for that virus alone.

What happens during a hepatitis panel?

A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

At-home testing kits are available for hepatitis B and C. Usually the test kit will include a sharp device (a lancet) to prick your finger so you can collect a drop of blood and send it to a lab for testing. For more information on at-home testing for hepatitis, talk to your provider.

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

You don't need any special preparations for a hepatitis panel.

Are there any risks to the test?

There is very little risk to having a blood test. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.

What do the results mean?

Different labs report hepatitis panel results in various ways, so it's best to ask your provider what your test results mean.

In general:

• A negative or normal result means you probably don't have a hepatitis infection. But if you know you were exposed to hepatitis, you may need to be tested again later on.
• A positive or abnormal result may mean:
  • You have an active hepatitis infection now. It may be an acute infection or one you've had for a long time.
  • You had a hepatitis infection in the past that cleared up.

If your test results are abnormal, you will likely need other tests to find out if you have an active infection and whether it is an acute or chronic infection.

An abnormal test result means that signs of hepatitis A, B, or C were found in your blood. These signs include:

• Hepatitis antigens, which are substances in the hepatitis virus that trigger your immune system to fight the virus. If you have hepatitis antigens in your blood, it means that you may have an active hepatitis infection. It could be an acute or chronic infection.
• Hepatitis antibodies, which are proteins that your immune system makes to help fight a hepatitis infection. If you have hepatitis antibodies in your blood, it may mean that you have an acute or chronic infection or that you had an infection in the past. Certain antibodies for hepatitis A or B are a sign that you were vaccinated and are immune to these infections.

If you have questions about your results, talk with your provider.

Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.

Is there anything else I need to know about a hepatitis panel?

Medical experts recommend that certain people should be checked for hepatitis B and/or C using other blood tests that look for only one type of virus at a time. These recommendations suggest testing for:

• All adults 18 and older at least once in their lifetime.
• Pregnant people, during each pregnancy. Routine prenatal testing usually includes a hepatitis B test.
• People who have an increased risk of getting hepatitis B or C. Many things can increase your risk, for example:
  • Working in certain jobs, such as health care
  • Injecting illegal drugs
  • Your age
  • Certain medical conditions or treatments you may have had

Ask your provider if you should be tested for hepatitis B and/or C and how often you need to be retested.