If you suspect you have hepatitis C, what tests should you do to confirm the diagnosis? Although this is the doctor’s job, you can also come to know first, so that you can have a good idea. First of all, you need to check the hepatitis C virus antibody (also called hepatitis C antibody, anti-HCV), the higher the level the greater the possibility of being infected. The higher the level, the more likely you are to be infected. This test determines whether the person is infected with hepatitis C and measures the amount of virus in the blood. Third, liver function test. The liver function test is mainly to see the liver damage and the severity of hepatitis. Virus typing (there are different types of hepatitis C), the most common is type 1b, followed by 2a, and type 3 is more difficult to treat. The treatment is also different, 1b needs to be treated with giardiasis, 2a needs sofibuvir. 3 type giardiasis + ribavirin (updated in March 2016 US guidelines), regular treatment long-term cure rate are in more than 85%! Hepatitis C virus quantification (HCV RNA) is determined to be positive, then the diagnosis of viral hepatitis C infection is confirmed, i.e., a person with hepatitis C. Treatment is needed as soon as possible. There is another situation where the patient is positive only for hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV), so what should be done for this group of patients? There are 3 reasons for this situation: i. False positive test results. Some patients who have had hemodialysis or have autoimmune disease may have positive hepatitis C antibodies and negative HCV RNA; this is only an illusion, but the patient is not actually infected with the hepatitis C virus. Second, previous infection with hepatitis C virus and recovery. (After being infected with the hepatitis C virus, less than 5% of the lucky ones can clear the virus through their own immune system; the rest of the patients need treatment.) Third, the sensitivity of the reagents used for the test is relatively low, resulting in incorrect detection of HCV RNA. It may actually be a patient with hepatitis C. For patients who are just positive for hepatitis C antibody and negative for virus quantification, a quantitative hepatitis C virus test is needed every once in a while (three months). If the quantification of the virus is found to be positive, then treatment is needed as soon as possible. If multiple tests are negative for HCV RNA, then regular re-testing of the hepatitis C virus quantification every six months is sufficient and no treatment is needed. In addition to this, if treated with interferon, patients need to have relevant tests, including thyroid function, autoantibodies, ECG, ultrasound, etc.