Hepatitis C, a life-threatening virus, mainly targets our liver. If you don’t take it seriously and seek medical help on time, it can progress to conditions like liver damage, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer. Hepatitis C is dangerous because, in its early stages, it shows zero to no symptoms. So, you need to prioritize hepatitis C testing, even without any major symptoms, to stay on the safe side. At Equality Health, we provide hepatitis C testing services. Call our team today to get started!
What Is Hepatitis C Testing And How Does It Work?
Getting tested for Hepatitis C will help you understand where you stand with the disease. Are you among the people who are at a higher risk of getting hepatitis C? Are you infected with Hepatitis C? All these questions are answered with a simple Hepatitis C test so that you can take the right precautions.
Similarly, Hepatitis C has different modes of transmission, such as:
- Reusing or inadequate sterilization of medical equipment like syringes
- Transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products
- Injecting drugs through shared injection equipment
- From an infected mother to a newborn baby during childbirth
Why Is Hepatitis C Testing Important?
Hepatitis C testing is important because hepatitis C is a dangerous disease that does not show any symptoms during the initial stage of contracting the disease. If this doesn’t convince you to get tested, here are some other reasons that definitely will:
- You could have the disease even if you feel fine and normal.
- The test is very easy and does not take long.
- Treatments can help you wipe out the disease
- Early treatment can help you prevent cancer or liver failure.
- And you can protect your loved ones.
Our Hepatitis C Testing Services In Shawnee, OK Include
Equality Health provides the best testing services for hepatitis C. Our hepatitis C testing methods include:
Antibody Tests
Tests for antibodies (also known as anti-HCV tests) can be used to identify antibodies that the hepatitis C virus has developed in your body. Our immune system develops new antibodies to fight off the hepatitis C virus when it enters the body. When these antibodies are found in a blood sample, it suggests that the patient may have previously been exposed to the virus.
A positive antibody test does not, however, indicate that the infection is active in your body right now. Our antibody tests include two tests: enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and OraQuick HCV.
The turnaround time for antibody tests typically ranges from a few minutes to a few days.
Nucleic Acid Tests
A nucleic acid test helps identify the genetic material (RNA) of the hepatitis C virus in your blood. These highly sensitive tests can determine whether the virus is active in your body. They are frequently employed to determine the severity of the infection and validate a positive antibody test. It’s crucial to realize that nucleic acid testing aids in diagnosis confirmation, while antibody tests serve as preliminary screening tests. Among our tests for nucleic acids are polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and transcription-mediated amplification (TMA).
The turnaround time for nucleic acid tests can take about a week or so.
Using these two tests, we can easily tell if you are infected with Hepatitis C or have been exposed to the virus in the past. Our team will guide you towards a treatment plan if you are infected with hepatitis C, so you don’t have to worry about anything!
Contact us today to schedule a test!
When Should You Get Tested For Hep C?
It’s important to get tested for hepatitis C, especially if you have never been tested before. Nonetheless, even if you are symptom-free, getting checked is still necessary. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that people above the age of 18 should get tested for hepatitis C at least once throughout their lives to be safe.
Some other people who should get tested for hepatitis C are:
- Pregnant women during each of their pregnancies.
- People with HIV.
- People who have ever injected drugs through needles or shared needles with someone else.
- Someone who has had selected medical procedures like hemodialysis
- People who received blood before 1992 (hep C checks were not performed for blood transfusions before 1992).
- Someone who had an organ transplant before 1992.
- Babies born to mothers infected with HCV.
Contact us to book an appointment for HCV testing.
Cost Of Hepatitis C Testing In Shawnee, OK
The cost of hepatitis C testing can vary. For all our insured patients, we bill all the expenses of testing to the insurance company. However, for our uninsured patients, we work closely with our partners and pay for our patients’ insurance premiums. We do offer rapid hepatitis C tests for free.
Support And Resources For Hep C Testing In Shawnee, OK
At our clinic, we don’t just provide testing and treatment services; we also offer different support and resources for our patients. Our services extend to:
- Pre-test and post-test counseling: In our pre and post-test counseling, our medical professionals provide patients with comprehensive details on the various test types. On the other hand, during post-test counseling, we provide information regarding available treatments and information on preventing infection.
- Support: We understand how important emotional support is for our patients, and that’s why we create an uplifting environment for our patients regardless of the test results.
- Local and Online Resources: If you are unsure about Hepatitis C testing procedures, we have different online resources that you can go through to get detailed information.
Contact Equality Health For Hepatitis Testing In Shawnee, OK
With our advanced testing procedures, we at Equality Health are committed to helping the people of Oklahoma live longer, healthier lives. In addition to testing, we also provide hepatitis C treatment in Oklahoma, counseling, prevention, and education about STDs. We also provide services for HIV treatment, PrEP for HIV prevention, STD Treatment, Hepatitis C treatment, HIV testing and STD testing in Shawnee. Please give us a call at (405) 761-2762 to get started!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. If you suspect you were exposed to hepatitis C at some point in your life and want to check, you can request an antibody test to detect the antibodies and the exposure to hepatitis C. But if you suspect you might be currently exposed to the virus, you can request a nucleic acid test. You can also request a rapid HCV antibody test that gives you test results in less than 20 minutes.
Yes. At our clinic, test results for hepatitis C are kept confidential and will only be discussed with you. We highly prioritize our patients’ confidentiality. So, we keep all of the test reports and other information related to our patients confidential. We keep your information secured, and all your personal information is safe with us!
If you test positive for hepatitis C with an antibody test, you will also need to take a nucleic acid test to see if you have a current infection. If both test results come back positive, our medical professionals will guide you through the treatment plan for hepatitis C.
RNA is the most accurate testing process for hepatitis C because it measures the number of viral RNA particles in your blood (also known as viral load). RNA has a reputation for being 100% accurate and can easily be detected within a couple of weeks of testing after exposure to the virus.
Most insurance providers must cover one-time hepatitis C testing for adults aged 18 to 79. Insurance must also cover periodic testing for people with a continued risk of hepatitis C virus infection. At our clinic, we bill everything to the insurance for our insured patients. And for our uninsured patients, we work together with our partners to pay for your insurance premiums.