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This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.
Australian Prescriber is unable to comment on individual cases or give second opinions.
Australian Prescriber Vol. 22 No. 4 1999
Hepatitis C: diagnosis and monitoring
Hepatitis C is one of the most frequently notified diseases in Australia. There may be up to 4000 new cases each year. Most cases occur in injecting drug users, but some patients were infected by blood transfusions. Hepatitis C virus can be difficult to detect, especially as many people have no symptoms of infection. The accuracy of blood tests used to detect the virus is improving. This is making blood transfusions safer.
People who should be tested for the virus include those with liver disease, injecting drug users and people whose jobs involve contact with body fluids.
