Reviewing the usefulness of laboratory tests results in hepatitis C

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection is a common cause of chronic liver disease and is relatively frequent in certain populations. Liver disease progresses so slowly that a person can have hepatitis C for years without being feeling sick or having specific symptoms that would lead a clinician to suspect liver disease and diagnosis for hepatitis C often occurs only after they are found to have abnormal liver enzymes during routine blood workup or tested because of specific risk factors. Blood tests that assess liver function are frequently used to evaluate and treat patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic liver diseases. We scanned the literature in an effort to identify biochemical markers that may be helpful in the evaluation and management of chronic hepatitis C disease. This article discusses the utility and limitations of laboratory tests results in establishing the diagnosis and prognosis in HCV infected patients